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Read the press release here.

Mandatory Quarantines Announced for Travelers With Ebola Victim Contact

By  Jeff Mays and Danielle Tcholakian | October 24, 2014 3:43pm | Updated on October 24, 2014 6:15pm

 Dr. Craig Spencer, a Harlem resident who worked for Doctors Without Borders in Guinea, tested positive for Ebola on Oct. 23, 2014.
Ebola in New York City
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LOWER MANHATTAN — Anyone flying into New York and New Jersey who has had "direct contact" with Ebola patients in West Africa will face an automatic quarantine, the governors of both states announced Friday.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the new, more stringent protocols take effect immediately at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

Individuals who have had contact with Ebola patients or healthcare workers who have treated them in West Africa will face the 21-day quarantine, the maximum incubation period for the virus.

The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of symptomatic individuals. It was not clear where the individuals would be quarantined.

"It's not the time to take chances," Cuomo said at a press conference at 7 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.

Christie said that he and Cuomo were "simply not satisfied" with the guidelines now in place from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The announcement came just hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city would begin "actively monitoring" anyone who returns from the three West African nations that have active Ebola outbreaks.

That measure was in line with updated CDC guidelines released Wednesday that replaced voluntary monitoring.

It is unclear if de Blasio and city officials were aware of the new guidelines Cuomo and Christie unveiled. The city did not immediately respond to questions regarding the new guidelines.

Both governors said they could not control who was allowed into the country but were exercising their authority to determine who entered their respective states. Cuomo and Christie said the CDC guidelines were not stringent enough because of the density of both states.

"CDC has established guidelines....I consider the guidelines not rigorous enough," said Cuomo. "This is a strengthening of those guidelines."

The new measure comes a day after Dr. Craig Spencer, of West Harlem, tested positive for the Ebola virus Thursday evening. Spencer returned to JFK Airport from Guinea on Oct. 17 after working with Ebola patients there and was allowed to monitor himself for symptoms.

Spencer was not under quarantine and traveled around Manhattan and Brooklyn, eating at a restaurant, coffee shop, going bowling and taking the subway and an Uber taxi.

Cuomo said voluntary quarantines are not effective enough to protect the public.

"It's almost an oxymoron to me," Cuomo said. 'We've seen what happens. In a number of cases, people say I'm bored...You ride the subway, you ride the bus, you could affect hundreds and hundreds of people."

In addition to the mandatory quarantine, anyone who has traveled to one of the three affected West African nations but has not had contact with an Ebola patient will face active monitoring and possible involuntary quarantine.

New Jersey health officials have already involuntarily quarantined a female traveler at Newark Liberty International Airport who had a recent history of treating Ebola patients in West Africa. It was not clear where the woman lived.

Christie said he was unaware of where the woman, a nurse, was being held and grew annoyed when asked.

"She’s not in the United lounge, all right? … She’s probably at Sbarro’s.”

Spencer is listed in stable condition at Bellevue, said Dr. Ram Raju, head of the city's Health and Hospitals Corporation. He is alert and has been on his cellphone speaking with family and friends.

He first noticed that he had a "low-grade" 100.3-degree fever between 10 a.m and 11 a.m. on Thursday and reported the condition to Doctors Without Borders who then contacted the health department.

Spencer's last contact with Ebola patients was on Oct. 12 and he left Guinea two days later.

After returning to JFK Airport via Brussels on Oct. 17, Spencer began actively monitoring his temperature, which was 98.7, said Bassett. However, he was not quarantined and traveled around the city.

On Tuesday, he began feeling tired, but did not develop a fever until Thursday.

At some point, he took a walk on the High Line and went to Blue Bottle Coffee. He also visited the Meatball Shop in Greenwich Village.

On Wednesday night, he took the subway to The Gutter, a bowling alley in Williamsburg, and returned home by Uber cab.

But he did not have close bodily contact with the driver, said health officials.

Both Blue Bottle and the Gutter have been cleared as safe by the Health Department. Blue Bottle referred questions to the High Line, which said there was no risk at the shop.

The Meatball Shop, on Greenwich Avenue in the West Village, is currently being examined by health officials and has yet to be cleared.

A sign was left on the door saying that the restaurant planned to reopen for dinner. A spokesman for the Meatball shop did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Gutter shut down Thursday night and was set to be cleaned, according to the owner, Todd Powers.

Three other people that Spencer had close contact with, his fiancèe Morgan Dixon, who lives with him in Hamilton Heights, and two other unnamed friends, are under mandatory quarantine orders from the health department.

None of the three are currently displaying any Ebola symptoms. They are required to remain under quarantine for 21 days following their last contact with Spencer.

City officials called for calm in the wake of the news of Spencer's diagnosis.

Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transit Authority, said "there was no risk to any other subway customers or any MTA employees."

The agency has protocols for cleaning infectious waste which were recently updated to ensure that employees use stronger gloves, 10 percent bleach solution for disinfection and double bag any potentially infectious material.

But New Yorkers at Spencer's building and some of the places he traveled to earlier this week expressed concern despite directives from the mayor and governor to remain calm.

Stan Malone, 45, who lives across the street from Spencer's building, said his cousins live in the same building with the doctor.

"My family has left the building. They left last night. They're scared," he said.

Keven Ngo, 52, a mailman, wore latex gloves and a mask while delivering the mail to Spencer's building.

"I usually wear gloves, the mask is only for this building," he said. "You don't know where Ebola...goes."

The DOH said that their contractor was cleaning Spencer's apartment out of an "abundance of caution" because he did not report any vomiting or diarrhea.

"Our contractor will clean and disinfect out of an abundance of caution. They will throw away the bed linens, towels, toiletries, food in the fridge, throw away garbage," said a DOH spokeswoman.

"They will wipe down hard, frequently touched surfaces with disinfectant. And once complete, we will inspect and certify the apartment is okay to re-enter," she said.

At Blue Bottle Coffee on the High Line in Chelsea, Ali Haufe, 25, said she was unaware that Spencer had visited.

"I kind of want to retract my order now," said Haufe who ordered a cappuccino. "But knowing that you can only contract it through bodily fluids makes me feel less nervous."

Cuomo said he was confident the new more stringent quarantine guidelines were necessary.

"This is an evolving situation, this is a situation where government must move quickly," he said.

 Gustavo Solis, Heather Holland, Serena Dai, Sybile Penhirin and Trevor Kapp contributed reporting to this story.