Plainclothes Man at Ebola Scene Perplexes Viewers

10/16/2014

A plain clothes man standing near hazmat suited workers transferring the second Dallas health care worker diagnosed with Ebola to a plane at Dallas Love Field had everyone asking, "Why?"

As coverage of the transport of the Dallas second health care worker diagnosed with Ebola aired live on NBC 5, viewers questioned a sight at Love Field Wednesday: A man in plain clothes standing among those in hazmat suits.

While three people helped Amber Vinson out of an ambulance, off a stretcher and up the stairs to a specially equipped jet taking her to Atlanta for treatment at Emory University Hospital, a man wearing no protective gear stood nearby holding a yellow envelope.

The man, wearing only slacks, a buttoned-down shirt and sunglasses, appeared out of place and outraged viewers who wanted to know why he was unprotected while everyone, including Vinson, was covered from heard to toe. Two of the workers who helped her from the stretcher even wore respirators.

The unidentified man stood very near another hazmat-suited worker and then took what appeared to be a container from one of the suited workers. He placed it on the steps to the jet and walked out of view.

Ebola Patient Heads to Atlanta for Treatment

He then reappeared as one of the PPE-suited workers came off the plane with red hazmat bags. He took what appeared to be a not-yet-used red bag from the worker in protective gear, then handed it to the workers as they bagged up items from the ambulance ride.

Then he conversed with two workers wearing respirators while the red hazmat bags were loaded onto the plane. He then grabbed the container from the stairs and got on the plane which departed Love Field en route to Atlanta.

American Medical Response, the ambulance service that transported Vinson to Love Field, said the man is not with AMR, but is likely a member of the air crew that is now flying Vinson to Atlanta.

We still haven't gotten to the bottom of why he's not required to wear protective gear.

Ebola Patient Amber Vinson in Stable Condition

Health officials are not revealing much about Ebola patient Amber Vinson's condition, but they have said she is sick yet clinically stable.

Bottom line: He got on the plane and is not in the Dallas area.

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