Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks is talking about the concerns being expressed nationwide about Ebola, especially in the wake of the death in Texas of an Ebola patient.
Brooks says after the death in Texas of the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., county officials have been getting calls from concerned residents, even though Texas is quite a distance away from Rochester.
"We've had calls from the parents, what are the schools doing, are our kids safe when they're going to school, people who are traveling, is it safe for me to travel."
Brooks says she and other municipal officials had a conference call Wednesday with President Obama, where he sought to reassure them that the threat of an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. is very low, but he told the local officials he needs their help to communicate information about this illness.
"He called us partners in the fight and said that the communication chain would be constant and rapid until we reach the end of what he called a scare."
Brooks says there are no changes in protocols right now in how the county does business and that includes the airport. There are additional layers of screening to begin Saturday at five airports around the country, but not in Rochester.
Brooks does say that local airport and health officials are in touch with federal authorities on a regular basis.
