Music
Brooklyn music venue shuts down after Ebola-infected man attends concert
by Mark Teo
October 24, 2014
As we speak, the CMJ Music Marathon—which, for our money, is one of the world’s best music festivals—rages on in New York City. But while music typically dominates headlines during CMJ, this year, Gotham’s focus has shifted—namely, onto Dr. Craig Spencer, an Ebola-infected man who spent days roaming the city. One of the places he hit up? A CMJ concert in Williamsburg, Brookyln, at the Gutter, a bowling alley-turned-concert venue.
Spencer, who had been treating Ebola patients in Guinea with Doctors Without Borders, has since been quarantined at the city’s Bellevue Hospital. But not before riding the subway, going for jog, taking an Uber cab, and, of course, visiting the Gutter.
After reporting a 100.3 degree fever—37.9 degrees in Celsius—and gastrointestinal problems, he was officially diagnosed with Ebola. He was removed from his apartment, which has also since been isolated, on a stretcher.
Quite understandably, the city was hit with a panic. No surprise, really, considering the city has 8 million people, and the gruesome disease has a death toll of nearly 4,900, with many of the deaths occurring in West Africa. The Gutter, which is being examined by health officials today, has decided to shut its doors for precautionary reasons, cancelling all their CMJ events.
They took to Facebook to announce the news.
It’s a wise move to cancel the CMJ shows on the Gutter’s part, especially from an optics perspective. But realistically, it’s unlikely that hosting an Ebola-infected man poses a threat—the disease is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, and it’s unlikely that anyone at the venue was put in danger. Accordingly, they’re now slated to reopen.
Mayor Bill de Blasio sent out a tweet confirming the fact, hopefully assuaging the fears of New Yorkers.
Still, we can hardly blame the public for being terrified. Nine Ebola cases have been reported in the U.S., and one, Dallas’s Eric Duncan, has died. Fears have also spread to Canada, but we’ve yet to see an Ebola case north of the border. But it’s still useful to remember that an Ebola outbreak is highly unlikely in North America. So if you’re at CMJ, don’t let this ruin your fun. [H/T Pitchfork]
