A decontamination crew has completed its work at a Dallas apartment where an Ebola patient stayed before being hospitalized and says the home is now safe for tenants.
The hazardous materials crew finished cleaning the unit at Ivy Apartments on Monday.
About 140 barrels were filled with items taken from the apartment, including bed sheets, towels and three mattresses used by Thomas Eric Duncan before he was hospitalized. Some of the barrels were hauled away Friday and others over the weekend.
Brad Smith with The Cleaning Guys Environmental said he believes the apartment is safe for another tenant.
Duncan traveled last month to Dallas from Liberia where he had been in contact with two people who later died from the Ebola virus.
Smith said his workers will not be under observation for possible infection.
"You saw people go in and out of the apartment with no protection on. We were fully protected every time we went in, so we feel real confident in that," Smith said.
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As of Monday, officials said 48 people who may have had contact with Duncan were being observed for possible symptoms, including 10 believed to have been closest to Duncan.
"The good news for me is, we take these temperatures two times every day, and we've got zero symptoms out there, zero," said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.
Despite the negative test results, city officials said other residents of the apartment complex who had no contact with Duncan have come under suspicion.
"Unfortunately they are feeling discriminated against," said Dallas City Council Member Jennifer Gates. "We still have some that are getting turned away at jobs, some that have been turned away at retail locations."
National Night Out activities scheduled this week were postponed in the Vickery Meadow area to concentrate on Ebola education instead.
The Ebola risk to other Texans is extremely low, according to Texas Health Commissioner Dr. David Lakey.
"The concern right now is the stress of this and the fear of this could be more damaging to this community than the virus itself," Lakey said.
