GALVESTON, Texas – Galveston police officers got a crash course in how to respond to a potentially infectious situation Friday. The incident happened at a Walmart on Seawall Boulevard near 63rd Street and involved the wife of a suspected shoplifter.
Galveston police said when officers arrived at the store to investigate a suspected shoplifter they got a bit of a jolt. Police said the suspect's wife was showing flu-like symptoms and told officers she had just gotten back from Africa.
Walmart employee Malcolm Norris said that's when the men in biohazard suits showed up.
"They was putting on yellow suits, yellow tops, yellow pants," said Malcolm Norris. "They was putting tape on their gloves because I guess they didn't want any skin showing."
Galveston police said the woman and her husband were taken to UTMB Hospital to be checked out. Galveston police said this was simply done as a precaution. Police do not believe the woman is a health risk and said their response followed new protocols released Friday
by officials at UTMB, who specialize in the treating and handling of potentially infectious diseases.
On the other side of the island the Galveston cruise ship terminal is awaiting the arrival of the Carnival Magic. On board is a health care worker from Texas Health Presbyterian, who had a hand in the treatment of Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan.
State officials said this worker handled lab specimens from Duncan before taking this cruise with 4,000 other passengers, including Candee Stanley's two daughters.
"It does worry me. You don't know how this will pan out," said Stanley.
The health care worker has been kept in isolation as a precaution and the ship is heading to Galveston after Belize and Mexican officials refused to allow the vessel to dock in those countries.
Late Friday Local 2 received a statement from Carnival officials: "Given that the health care worker and her traveling companion continue to exhibit no symptoms of illness whatsoever there are no special cleaning or sanitizing requirements placed on us. Be that as it may, we are initiating an aggressive cleaning and sanitizing effort on our own in an abundance of caution prior to the ship's next cruise departure on Sunday afternoon."
