Dr. Nancy Snyderman Back from Africa, Seen in Public

Snyderman
Snyderman

Several Planet Princeton readers have reported seeing NBC News Chief Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman in public over the past day.

Snyderman allegedly was seen sitting in her car outside of the Peasant Grill in Hopewell Boro this afternoon. A reader reported that a man who was with her got out of the car and went inside the restaurant to pick up a take-out order. Another man was in the back seat of her black Mercedes. Snyderman had sunglasses on and had her hair pulled back, the reader said.

An American freelance cameraman working with Snyderman in Liberia last week tested positive for Ebola. Snyderman, a resident of Princeton, was flown back to the United States with a crew member on a private charter flight this weekend. Snyderman and her crew were going to be placed under voluntary quarantine for 21 days as a precaution, NBC News President Deborah Turness announced in a written statement on Oct. 3 (see the letter below). NBC said the group would be closely monitored and was showing no symptoms or warning signs of Ebola.

On Tuesday, NBC News President Deborah Turness said in a statement sent to staff members that Snyderman and her crew were doing well and in good health. “While they are deemed to be at low risk, we have agreed with state and local health authorities that our team will not come to work, and they will stay at home taking their temperatures twice daily and staying in touch with the local health authorities for the remainder of the recommended 21-day period,” Turness said.

Snyderman is not under any kind of mandatory quarantine order by the CDC or the state because she is at a very low risk of contracting Ebola. Any confinement is voluntary.

NBC did not respond to inquiries about Snyderman today, and Snyderman could not be reached for comment.

Snyderman has been NBC’s chief medical correspondent since 2006. She joined the network after 15 years as a correspondent with ABC. She also previously served as a vice president at Johnson & Johnson.

The infected cameraman, age 33, was hired last week to be a second cameraman for Snyderman, who was with three other NBC News employees on assignment in Liberia reporting on the Ebola outbreak. The cameraman, who is also a writer, came down with symptoms on Oct. 1. He felt tired and achy, and was running a slight fever. He immediately quarantined himself and sought medical advice. He tested positive for the Ebola virus about 12 hours later.  He is the fourth American to have contracted Ebola in Liberia. He has been working in Liberia on various projects for the past three years. He is being flown back to the United States for treatment at a medical center that is equipped to handle Ebola patients. Two American aid workers were infected in July while working for Samaritan’s Purse in Monrovia. Last month another doctor as diagnosed with the virus after working at a local hospital in Liberia. Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan died this week in Dallas.

Editor’s Note: Planet Princeton took the information given by readers such as the detailed descriptions of the car, and the other information and used other sourcing to verify that Snyderman had been out. Some officials talked to us for background but did not want to be on record.

Update Saturday, Oct. 11: State of New Jersey Issues Mandatory Quarantine for Snyderman and crew.

 

The text of the letter to NBC staff from Turness:

As you know, Dr. Nancy Snyderman and our news team are in Liberia covering the Ebola outbreak. One of the members of their crew is an American freelance cameraman who has worked in Liberia for the past three years and has recently been covering the epidemic for US media outlets. On Tuesday he began working with our team. Today, he tested positive for Ebola.

We are doing everything we can to get him the best care possible. He will be flown back to the United States for treatment at a medical center that is equipped to handle Ebola patients. We are consulting with the CDC, Medicins Sans Frontieres and others. And we are working with Dr. Nancy on the ground in Liberia.

We are also taking all possible measures to protect our employees and the general public. The rest of the crew, including Dr. Nancy, are being closely monitored and show no symptoms or warning signs. However, in an abundance of caution, we will fly them back on a private charter flight and then they will place themselves under quarantine in the United States for 21 days – which is at the most conservative end of the spectrum of medical guidance.

We know you share our concern for our colleagues and we will continue to keep you up to date and informed.

174 Comments

  1. Nancy, do us all a favor, and stick to your promise. Please do not help bring this dreadful disease to our community.

  2. An unbelievable disregard for fellow citizens and public health. Shame on someone who should know better than to allow any perception of less than rigorous adherence to the protocol of quarantine.

      1. not much of a doctor “get your damn vaccines” fear mongerer, leading more children to brain/dna injury/deaths. She does not care about our health or lives, worked for J&J of all places, lathering petroleum based cancer causing agents onto our skin/selves.

  3. Nancy will not give you Ebola. #1. She probably doesn’t have Ebola. She’s gone days without symptoms, and she did not have the kind of contact with her crew member that was likely to lead to transmission. #2. Even if she did have Ebola, you can only catch it by contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. Do you expect to have that kind of contact? I don’t think so.

    You can’t catch Ebola from being in the same room as an infected person, from using a door handle that an infected person touched, or from shaking hands with them. If you see Nancy Snyderman in her car, you have zero- repeat- zero risk of getting Ebola from her. As such, if she is in her car waiting for somebody to get her some lunch, she IS still quarantined from you. There is no need for alarm, or for the calls of ‘Shame, Shame’.

    1. I guess she won’t touch anything or sneeze or …, right? Shame on her, she should know better…

      1. This story would really benefit from a statement from a qualified medical professional who is expert in infectious disease containment. Fortunately, such professionals work at UMCPP and I’m sure they’d be willing to make a statement. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the risk of Ebola transmission from coughing or sneezing is very low. Touching carries zero risk. Based on my understanding of how this virus is transmitted, if somebody is in a car, that person IS quarantined.

        The NBC statement did not say that Snyderman would stay in her house 24 hrs a day. Nor did they say that she would have no contact with other humans. Even if this story is true, Snyderman has not deviated from the NBC statement. There is just a misunderstanding of what the terms of her ‘self-quarantine’ would be.

        1. This goes well past whether she’s infectious or not. It’s a character and judgment issue, ultimately. A person who makes a public commitment to “stay home” (the precise words used in NBC’s comments) for 21 days, then almost immediately breaks that commitment, risks being perceived as selfish and untrustworthy; the sort of person who says one thing and does another because “they know best.” These are the sorts of people who can unintentionally cause great harm. And you’re apologizing for her and splitting hairs over the unpublicized “terms” of her “self-quarantine.” Fact is, the impression was very deliberately created that she would indeed “quarantine” herself as that word is generally understood. Misunderstanding? More like lack of disclosure further obfuscated my misleading BS. Defend her all you want, but this was a major, major screw-up.

          1. As long as people realize how the virus is spread, and that this incident poses basically no risk to the public, I’m fine. She’s not my mom so I don’t really care if people want to say horrible things about her. As a successful woman in the public eye, I’m sure she’s heard it all.

            1. And she’ll be hearing a whole lot more in the coming days. Hope that takeout meal was worth it!

              1. she may want to stay away from sauces and gravies, they could just make her look like its time for the isolation ward.

              2. NBC is not reporting how she broke quarantine.
                Thank goodness for the dogged determination of Planet Princeton.

            2. It’s not about “hearing things” — it’s about remaining true to the statement released by her employer regarding her quarantine. This is not a sentimental issue; it’s a matter of public health and welfare. Also, there are varying views on exactly how Ebola may spread.

              1. You are right, Snyderman failed to remain in quarantine. Snyderman failed the honesty test. she has demonstrated that she cannot reconcile her actions with her word. Who wants a news person who cannot be trusted or a doctor who chooses to lie and get caught?
                No one who has a choice does.

          2. She made a big deal about putting herself in a voluntary quarantine while on the air with Brian Williams. Gee, her cameraman has Ebola.
            What hubris!

        2. Its not what MBS said, its what snyderman was supposed to do voluntarily and failed to do: stay home, go nowhere and follow ebola quarantine reporting.

        3. Touching does not carry zero risk. CDC guidance defines someone as a “close contact” (and under consideration for restricted movement)

          — if they touch someone with Ebola.

          —- or come within 3 feet of an Ebola patient for a prolonged period (as opposed to just walking by)

          Here is the CDC guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/monitoring-and-movement-of-persons-with-exposure.html

          “Close contact is defined as

          being within approximately 3 feet (1 meter) of an EVD patient or within the patient’s room or care area for a prolonged period of time (e.g., health care personnel, household members) while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment (i.e., standard, droplet, and contact precautions; see Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations); or

          having direct brief contact (e.g., shaking hands) with an EVD patient while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment.

          Brief interactions, such as walking by a person or moving through a hospital, do not constitute close contact.”

          1. Right, and what they don’t say is that you get Ebola from touching a patient. They say that you are considered to have close contact if you have touched someone. Those are not the same thing.

      1. By the reasoning of SFB and other “low risk” apologists, it would be ok for a criminal to decide to escape from prison, so long as they thought there was a “low risk” they’d rob or kill anyone.

    2. snyderman failed to remain in quarantine. she failed to stay put. snyderman failed the honesty test.

    3. so your rules are what will save us? This disease is allowed to move and progress based on poor decisions, inaction and wrong blather

    4. Being in the same room with an infected person or touching them does carry risk. I understand Nancy Snyderman was not showing signs of Ebola and was likely not an infected person — but you are spreading misinformation here. Touching people with Ebola (and bodies of those that have passed away) is a major source of the spread of the disease in Africa.

      CDC guidance defines someone as a “close contact” (and under consideration for restricted movement)

      — if they touch someone with Ebola.

      —- or come within 3 feet of an Ebola patient for a prolonged period (as opposed to just walking by)

      Here is the CDC guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/monitoring-and-movement-of-persons-with-exposure.html

      1. I think you want to be careful about what you are calling misinformation. People don’t get Ebola from touching the bodies of affected patients. The virus is transmitted through body fluids, not from skin-to-skin contact. Public health would prudently advise that you don’t touch Ebola patients, because you don’t know what is on their skin, but it is not touching per se that spreads the disease. We should probably focus on the fact that the public health situation in Princeton is being effectively managed. The head of the CDC has publicly stated that what Snyderman did caused no public health risk and there is no cause for alarm at this point.

        1. It’s important to understand the precautions individuals should take against Ebola whether or not the disease is in our community.

          Re, touching spreading the disease. Safe burial is very important for containing the disease in Africa — as the custom there is for close relatives to manually wash the the deceased body.. WHO predictions on whether the disease can be contained use a 70% safe burial rate as a requirement for control. See image of public health notice in Liberia below — not touching a person infected with disease or a body is the first precaution listed. This is more than prudence.

          Ebola is highly infectious because of the number of viral particles a person who is infected or has passed away has.

          **************************
          “At the peak of illness, an Ebola patient can have 10 billion viral particles in one-fifth of a teaspoon of blood. That compares with 50,000 to 100,000 particles in an untreated H.I.V. patient, and five million to 20 million in someone with untreated hepatitis C.

          “That helped us to understand why, if this is only spread by body fluids, why it is more contagious than hepatitis A, B and C, and H.I.V.,” Dr. Ribner said. “It’s just that there’s so much more virus in the fluids they put out.”

          ******************************

          Quote from the NY Times article “Questions
          Rise on Preparations at Hospitals to Deal with Ebola”. Dr.
          Ribner in the quote is medical director of Emory’s infectious disease unit — where the two missionaries were successfully treated for Ebola.

  4. Who is the alleged guy who is hanging out with her and then coming out into public? If he is hanging out with her (in her car where she could exchange bodily fluids with him), he becomes a possible vector, so, in essence, the quarantine is broken by Snyderman by proxy (the guy). Connect the dots. I wonder if he is also part of the team that is quarantined and he came into the store because they thought he would be less recognizable? Wouldn’t that be reckless disregard for the safety of others? Snyderman was in Liberia one week ago in at least one hospital and with a person who currently has Ebola. That’s “low risk?” That’s more risk that I’m willing to take with myself and my children. Stay inside please Nancy. That is a no risk way to handle this. To do anything less is unethical and selfish.

    1. Still effectively. no risk, because unless the exposed person is showing symptoms, there is no possibility of transmission. For there to be a risk, we would have to assume that Snyderman has Ebola (very unlikely), that she went into Hopewell to get something to eat despite suffering acute symptoms (extremely unlikely), and that there was exchange of bodily fluids between her and the guy in the car (unlikely, because the guy in the car would surely take precautions if she started getting sick).

      1. When the symptoms hit, they hit. They can hit while you are in line at the store. You don’t get a 10 minute warning that you are about to be symptomatic. That’s why you are supposed to be quarantined. And how can you say that it is “very unlikely” that Snyderman presently has Ebola? She spent 2 hours with an infected person last week and she didn’t know he infected at that time. She just came to Princeton straight from Liberia. She may well have Ebola right now – only time will tell because there is an incubation period. So please stop saying (convincing yourself?) that it’s unlikely that she has Ebola Meanwhile, if you want to hang out with her, then go be quaranentined with her and stay in for 21 days. That’s your choice. My choice is not to take that risk and I don’t need someone else making that choice for me and the rest of the community. Such arrogance.

      2. All of your pretty unlikely’s are pretty unlikely.
        Too soon yet. Now….would you still believe anything the good doctor told you?

      3. The reason Ebola is turning into a WORLD PANDEMIC…no one knows the fine line between contagious and not contagious. It’s very hard to keep contained. Snyderman violated every ethic as a doctor, medical consultant, reporter….and most importantly she put others at risk.

          1. He does have Ebola – he just recent received a transfusion from recovered Ebola infected Dr. Brantley.

      4. If you had actually read the news from Afrika you would know that TAXI CABS are a primary vector for the spread of Ebola.

        The arrogance of people like you will kill the rest of us.

        1. I live in this community and I am far more invested in what is going on here than you- a roving troll. I hope you feel like a big man, calling me arrogant from behind the safety of your keyboard. You are contributing nothing but stupidity to this conversation. Taxi cab? What taxi cab? Nobody on the NBC team was even riding a taxi cab. You can’t even spell ‘Africa’, why are you telling me about what is going on there?

          1. Here let me help you out.

            https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ebola-virus-spread-by-taxi-passengers-says-who-9719478.html

            “The organisation (WHO) said that motorbike-taxis and regular taxis are “a hot
            source of potential virus transmission” because they are not disinfected
            in Liberia, where conventional Ebola control measures “are not having
            an adequate impact”.”

            SO whoever drover her to pick up her meal, is now at risk and should be quarantined also. Keep flaming. It won’t save you from a virus.

            1. Can O’Korn, you are a troll and you are wasting our time. You can’t catch Ebola from somebody who doesn’t have Ebola symptoms, and so far, none of the NBC team in the Princeton area are showing symptoms. You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you are provocatively name-calling and making outrageous claims that add nothing to the conversation. I’m not going to read your link from that crappy British newspaper, the Independent. You must have doubled their daily clicks if you read that. Anyway, taxis in Liberia have got nothing to do with the specifics of what is happening here in Princeton. Take a hike and next time you want to call me arrogant, say it to my face. You can find me right here in Princeton, if you even know where that is.

      5. You are totally ignorant. The fact is that she has been exposed to a person with Ebola. She could be symptomatic at any moment. The exact reason for her quarantine. Maybe she should come visit you at your home. See how comfortable you feel with her risk taking behavior then.

        1. ‘ignorant’, eh? Let me tell you another fact that will blow your mind: there are lots of journalists who have come back from Africa where they were in contact with Ebola victims, and those people are not in mandatory quarantine! Crazy, eh? What do you think is going on? I’ll let you tell me, since you’ve got it all figured out, and I’m so ignorant.

          I can’t believe your comment is allowed to stay up with an outright personal attack in there. I can go toe-to-toe with you if you want to exchange insults. Is that what you want? Krystal?

    2. not much of a doctor “get your damn vaccines” fear mongerer, leading
      more children to brain/dna injury/deaths. She does not care about our
      health or lives, worked for J&J of all places, lathering petroleum
      based cancer causing agents onto our skin/selves. Agree she’s at high risk and should be mandated to be quarantined, or put down, in her personal case.

  5. Whether or not she is actually infectious or even has Ebola is not the issue here. Snyderman is being irresponsible by inciting panic and fear within the community. Seriously, did she have to go riding around town as soon as she got back? Lay low for a bit. The average citizen is not aware of how Ebola is contracted and spread. Most people are already freaked out about it. Show a little common sense, Dr. Nancy. You are a high profile individual, one of the handful of Americans exposed to the virus. Showing up for take out isn’t the smartest move to make, is it?

    1. The only people “inciting panic and fear” are the ignorant ones posting here, who have no clue how Ebola is (and isn’t) transmitted. You’re embarrassing yourselves.

      1. we got it all over ourselves, panic & fear. Its the folks posting, asking questions, demanding accountability and complaining about the gaps-apparent in the ebola response that is driving the government, medical authorities and reasonable people to take notice, get worried and make better effective action. Last I saw, judges and judgement comes after the fact when damage is done. Are you done?

      2. you are spewing again. trying to be the consummate naysayer and not be serious. when you are done stirring it lick the spoon.

      3. From one of the ignorant ones, I am not posting to instill fear to the public. the fear is already there..If you are ignorant it mean don’t know.

      4. As a former EMT and having come from a medical family of 3 generations, I am one of those people who understand Ebola, body substance isolation, contagions and protocol. Her behavior was irresponsible and unethical. I’ve seen a lot of hysteria on a lot of comments on many sites. People here have some very valid comments. Protocols are in place for a reason and we’ve already seen what can happen when they are violated. Quarantine is in place for a reason. If she doesn’t get Ebola fine. If she is low risk, fine. That does not excuse her violating quarantine.

  6. Whether or not she is carrying Ebola, her public stature, her high profile career and her role as physician demands exceptional responsibility to be a role model for cautionary quarantine; if she was in public, as reported, it strikes me as offensive, if not a risk.

  7. My god, the ignorant hysteria here would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. Please do some research and get some knowledge and understanding of Ebola and how its transmitted before posting.

    1. If it is such a non-issue, why did the doctor volunteer to quarantine herself in the first place? Was her quarantine just some sort of publicity stunt to raise her profile? Talk about tragic (and pathetic). In any event, if someone says they’re going to do something, they should do it. That’s called integrity. I suppose you have a justification for her being a two-faced liar as well? And please don’t condescend to me that I’m not knowledgable about the disease. Your arguments sound like you took them from the AIDS discussion, not the current Ebola discussion. Ebola is not like AIDS. When a person becomes symptomatic, it happens without warning and very publicly (think of projectile vomit without warning). Ask yourself this: Would you hand your new born baby to Snyderman right this minute? Would she have been invited into a classroom of children to make a presentation today? I think we all know the answer to this is ” definitely not.” And why not? Because there is SOME risk that she could become symptomatic at any time without prior notice on account of her having visited Ebola hospitals last week and spent 2 hours unprotected with someone who has Ebola . Hospitals in our area (and throughout the country) are currently training their staff for an Ebola outbreak. To not take this seriously “would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic.”

      1. But she didn’t hold any babies or visit a classroom. She didn’t even interact with the public. She was alone in a car, where there is ZERO possibility of contamination, even with your absure “projectile vomiting” scenario.

        Again, you’re fomenting hysteria based on fear and ignorance.

        1. She was NOT alone in the car. A guy got out of her car – he was actually in line in front of me at Peasant Grill, so I know that this is true. He got the food and he got back in her car – he looked like a journalist – was he also one of the NBC quarantined people? Is it her boyfriend? Son? I don’t know. In addition, there was a third person in the back seat of her car. While I agree that the chance of a negative interaction was low, they said that the NBC people would be quarantined and yet she was out and people were coming out of her car and into a crowded restaurant. I’d really like to know who all of these other people are as well. And I’m sorry if you think people are being hysterical, but as one of the people directly involved in this, I can tell you that it was pretty unnerving to go out for a sandwich and have all of this happening when Town Topics had just run a story that Snyderman was going to be quarantined for 21 days. Please try to be a bit more empathetic. I think everyone at Peasant Grill at 12:30 on Thursday deserves an apology from Snyderman and the guy who came into the restaurant, but of course there has been total radio silence. They don’t care about anyone but themselves.

          1. Thank you for sharing your story I’m so sorry you went through this. Horrible, unethical and reckless behavior from a celebrity – the rules apply to her, too. But if the restaurant was crowded, the media needs to know that. I hope you go public with your story – tell TMZ if no one else – they have a tip email tmz.com. They’ll make a headline out it and the public has a right to know. This is six degrees of separation – every six steps count – so she and her friends put lives at risk. This is how MRSA spreads in the community person-to-person and from contaminated surfaces and objects. No different than Ebola – from person-to-person and from contaminated surfaces and objects including door knobs. Read the CDC and W.H.O. websites. Tell your story. My best to you – you and everyone there deserves an apology.

        2. she was not in quarantine, moral equivalence or not. this is measurable, she had flown the coop. now enforcement goes to the next level, same coop

        3. all of the things you said snotterman didn’t do, big woop, cough!
          The main thing she did not do is stay home alone, as she volunteered to do. two other guys in the car with her, so yer barfing up the wrong tree again lady.

          1. And there it is: an ignorant, uninformed, hysterical and totally false post. Thank you for proving my point.

    2. nice prescription, now that you’ve written it do the Snyderman, sit home for 3 weeks and not talk

  8. I want to understand how & why the freelance cameraman contracted Ebola. If the method of transmission is ONLY through direct contact with bodily fluids, I don’t understand how he could have contracted the virus, given all the precautions that were in place.

    1. Supposedly, he was cleaning out a car that had been used to transport an Eboola victim, using a power washer and inadequate protective gear. He thinks he may have splashed something on himself.

  9. I’m sure the workers at Peasant Grill in Hopewell are thrilled to see this in the news. I sure hope it doesn’t hurt their business. Even if the chances of getting ebola are slim to none, shame on Snyderman for ignoring her quarantine. Selfish.

  10. We certainly are taking lightly a disease that could kill off a majority of the population should it get a foothold in the USA.

  11. There are (at least) two types of risk in the Snyderman situation, empirical (measurable) and percieved. Snyderman and staff have a very low ‘real’ risk of either developing Ebola or spreading it, based on what has been reported as brief with no touching to a febrile but ‘non-secreting’ patient.
    However, her 1) very public announcing – publicizing, even – of her self quarentine, with tweets about her temperature, followed by 2) multiple known and likely unknown breaking of that quarentine, haved heightened the percieved risk.
    This is especially sad as she is twice a professional, ie, a physician AND a communications specialist.
    The uncharitable interpretation is that she accepted (and promoted) the publicity around her situation while acting as if she didnt need to do what she publicly committed to. She has already paid a large price in the court of public opinion.

    1. She needs to pay out some more from her overbloated persona, she knew that she could afford it, if not she would have shut up and just stayed home. (no drama)

  12. i live in princeton. if i see you out walking around during this time period, im knocking you out with any object i can find in my vicinity

  13. Medical authorities do as they want and tell you to do as they say. when they get caught in a lie they ask that we don’t become hysterical because everything is ok. Snyderman and crew are above medical guidelines, above the law and believe that everyone is their audience. A bunch of twerps.

  14. Someone who is supposed to be a Doctor, who completely disregards the seriousness of how this disease and how it can spread is very selfish and should have her medical license revoked.

    NBC and Dr. Snyderman should be held completely liable if this spreads in NJ with her selfish actions!

    1. Why isn’t Snyderman fired? Cause NBC seemingly doesn’t care at all about what she did. They have not addressed it on their site while it’s been addressed by every other major news station, CNN talked about her breach live yesterday, and it was even Breaking News on TMZ last night of all places. Ironically, NBC has a Susan Rice piece up saying “the world is not doing enough to contain Ebola.” Wonder if that was originally planned for Snyderman to report. What a dumbass she is. She probably thought she’d win an Emmy for “her work bringing attention to the issue.” She brought attention to the issue all right. Hopefully she’ll be held out as an example. Come on NBC, redeem yourselves and help with containment by holding her out as an example that quarantines must be taken seriously.

      1. Seems like TMZ has been breaking a few stories other so called mainstream news didnt catch.

      2. I contacted NBC via Twitter to ask why they are not reporting the breach.
        My Tweet disappeared.

  15. If Snyderman broke voluntary quarantine..she absolutely should lose her job with NBC. The 21 day period is crucial to controlling the outbreak of Ebola. She is NOT the exception the rule. She should hang her head in shame..shame she has brought to her profession. I’ll never listen to her again.

    1. NBC is not even reporting that she broke quarantine.
      Thank goodness Planet Princeton did.

  16. I am shocked that NBC has not taken swift action, let alone that NBC has been totally silent about the breach. Imagine if the witnessed and identified crew member had not been a celebrity, affluent & socially connected, and a doctor: if lets say a black, male, regular Joe, behind the scenes lights, tech, etc, member of that crew was seen at a McDonald’s drive-thru getting take out in violation of an agreement with public health officials, do you think that guy would still have a job with NBC News? If it wasn’t her own personal breach, do you think that the Dr. Nancy public-health brand would have excused that behavior and kept the staffer on?

    It would have shown a lack of judgment and character to breach what we originally thought was an informal, yet very public and serious promise to the public to “self quarantine”, but as this story develops we learn that the breach by Dr. Nancy and her crew was not just their voluntary statement but an “agreement” that was made with public health officials.

  17. This self-imposed quarantine was a bunch of malarkey to appease the “little people”. You can bet she and her crew moved about freely. We’re lucky she was recognized as she was obviously trying to disguise herself. Where’s the big O’s statement regarding this blatant act. If anyone in Princeton comes down with Ebola symptoms I’m sure Nancy will be happy to pay for treatment & when her pockets are empty go after NBC!

  18. I think the state of NJ has forgotten or does not know the meaning of the word Quarantine, Let’s get Real here this Dr. Was not under Quarantine. Because if she were
    under Quarantine she would not be able to be home with her family. Doesn’t she care about her children and husband. (Quarantine) means Isolated,alone, No contact with any living thing, Hello We are All in Danger, Wake Up. God Bless US All.

    1. They agreed to voluntary confinement. They broke that promise so now they are on mandatory confinement. So what exactly don’t you get Honey? It really kills me to see this oh it is not a big deal idiots saying it is not easy to get. Yeah well tell me how the nurse in Dallas got it using full safety procedures? Why did they wrap Duncan’s car up? It is obviously not that hard to get.

        1. snyderman got loose, she volunteered to stay home, but snyderman got loose, in a nice car with two men inside. Bod Gless you honey

  19. Definition: “A quarantine is used to separate and restrict the movement of persons; it is a ‘state of enforced isolation’. This is often used in connection to disease and illness, such as those who may possibly have been exposed to a communicable disease.”
    Cruising around Princeton in a car with two other people picking up carry-out is NOT isolation.
    Once again, those who have deemed themselves better than the rest of us have seen fit to violate the rules they made for themselves. A typical hypocrite

  20. This is the reason MRSA, which is also potentially deadly, has spread into the community. No one, not even a celebrity doctor, honors self-quarantine. Now, it’s six degrees of separation – every six steps count from person-to-person. Disappointing and reckless behavior. If the rest of the crew can self-quarantine, so can she. No surprise, there’s a second Ebola case now in Dallas, Texas – the CDC says it’s a ‘breach of protocol.’ Not self-quarantining is also a breach in judgement.

  21. IF this is true…and we don’t really know…she is a very poor example of a physician. IF this is true, this is pure arrogance and disregard for others. I don’t know if there is a sanction that can be applied from the AMA but if there is one, this qualifies

  22. It’s not “If” – read the other comments here from customers under Sort by Best. Read one of those comments. “I was there” was a customer who was there at the restaurant. He says the restaurant was crowded. The restaurant staff, the public, and the customers who were there do deserve an apology from Snyderman and NBC, who told the public the entire crew would self-quarantine for 21 days. Now, silence from NBC.

    1. Apology? These poor people should file a multi-million dollar lawsuit against NBC and her personally.

      1. You’re right. Screw the apology. To now find out that a crew member who was exposed to an Ebola patient actually went inside of the restaurant, I hope someone does file a lawsuit. The major networks are silent on this whole thing, burying the story. I’ve seen people in the news business fired for less. What would have happened if someone violated any quarantine in Dallas, Texas? They would be arrested and jailed – at the very least, put under armed guard. Somehow this celebrity and her crew are above the law and question. I’m just disgusted by the whole thing. NBC remains silent.

  23. Dr. Snyderman should acquaint herself with Compagnie Francaise v. State Board of Health, 186 U.S. 380, 46 L. Ed. 1209, 22 S. Ct. 811 (1902), a seminal court case dealing with quarantining persons suspected of having infectious disease and precluding others from entry into the quarantined area. Should she not be able to control her “take-out” urges, then it would be appropriate for the local constables to jail her and her friends to protect the public.

  24. And I could mention Reynolds v. McNichols, 488 F.2d 1378 (10th Cir. 1973), but there is no medical treatment for arrogance, deceit, and “spin”, even though it seems contagious at
    NBC News.

  25. And so interesting that this story has been ignored by our generally debacle-rabid media horse media. Oo.

  26. How about NBC sending the following people to Liberia: Jenna Wolfe, Kathy Lee Gifford, and Mika Brzhenski?

  27. This is reckless behavior and poor judgement on her part. I do feel she should no longer represent NBC. If she was a police officer or fire fighter she would be fired for the poor judgement. Why should she be any different?

  28. It is all about “STATUS” with this Dr. It is so obvious all she cares about is herself. For her to even take a chance on possibly infecting people here is incomprehensible. Her actions are a disgrace and proves just how much she really cares about her fellow Americans.

  29. Do NOT care for her on the news. Always seems unprepared and unprofessional. She should be fired. Period.

    1. She has had work done on her face – desperation from a woman who doesn’t want to age.

  30. I would like Nancy to answer a question before her team prepares a well written “appall-ogy”. Was she not aware that mothers, fathers, and children live in NJ that may not want to be “potentially” exposed to Ebola? Sadly, that may be the only apology acceptable because there is a difference between ignorance and indifference. I can’t help but wonder what her report would say – if it was discovered that one of these NJ mothers, fathers, or children decided to go for take-out when under quarantine. Would she defend that person (and would NBC support her words) publicly saying something such as ‘I understand – your food craving is way more important than the health and safety of the rest of the world.. and how considerate of a person you must be to have waited in the car’ . There is fault forever on her fingertips as she has just planted the idea that any person under quarantine can say “Well, I was (insert any choice action here) so I left quarantine.” Shame.

  31. The “just take your dame vaccine” woman really cares little for the public.
    This women should be incarcerated.

  32. Excellent reporting Krystal.
    Keep up the good work.
    NBC still not reporting the irresponsible doctor broke quarantine.

  33. Dreamweaver – YOU think. She was exposed to someone who is hospitalized with Ebola. Wake up and stop day dreaming your life away.

  34. Snyder-care …
    If you don’t like your quarantine, you don’t have to keep yourself quarantined!
    If you like your take-out, you can go get your take-out.

  35. She needs to be fired. And imprisoned for reckless endangerment. It doesn’t matter if she is not infected: she understands what quarantine means, and why, yet she chose to ignore it and truly put the entire eastern seaboard at risk.

    1. If she didn’t endanger anyone, how can she be imprisoned for “reckless endangerment?”

  36. Privileged TV reporter…
    Really, couldn’t stay isolated for 21 lousy days?
    Putting others at risk. Way to go “TV doctor.”

  37. this is when a chinese style quarantine is the most efficient. mandatory confinement with guards. one iota of misstep can cause a nation wide, if not world wide epidemic. also speaking of which, flights out of west africa should be suspended

  38. If the CDC considers someone who just came back from Liberia, and known to have been in close proximity to individuals having contracted Ebola, at “low risk” then who do they determine as being “high risk?”

  39. Absolutely unacceptable………she should be fire immediately, she has lost all credibility. NBC should be ashamed of themselves if they try to gloss over this. No excuses.

  40. I had no problem with the NBC cameraman being brought back for treatment under controlled conditions. As a former EMT and member of a medical family including my father, grandfather and uncles who were physicians and a mother and aunts who were nurses, I am horrified that this woman would be this irresponsible. She has sent a very clear message that violating safety protocols is beneath her. At the very least she should be fired from NBC and have her medical license suspended for a year. The men with her should be identified and also receive mandatory quarantine. In addition she should have to pay for the additional cost of tracking everyone she came in contact with and the line of people that her associates came in contact with. This is exactly the kind of thing that leads to break downs in the system that people don’t trust already. I’m not into conspiracy theories, I don’t think FEMA and the CDC are “the enemy.” People who aren’t educating themselves are over reacting, but this woman’s behavior is one more thing that exasserbates an already deteriorating situation when education and calm would do more good. Get rid of the bimbo.

  41. For those who side with Dr. Snyderman, I would ask you to consider the following question. How does a rational, professional, highly respected physician make the kind of decision she made? You might expect that kind of a decision from a child or perhaps an adolescent. But not from an adult. A highly educated and renowned adult at that. Regardless of whether or not she was contagious (which she clearly wasn’t), she made a very bad error in judgement. And there will be repercussions as is appropriate when children, adolescents, or adults make extraordinarily poor choices.

    1. What was her “very bad error in judgment?” Not kowtowing to the fearmongers? If she’s of no danger to anyone, it was perfectly safe to sit in a car, no matter what someone who is misinformed believes. That’s not Snyderman’s problem. This is reminiscent of the days when people would shun gay people because they thought they’d contract AIDS from them.

      1. I never said her actions were unsafe. In fact, i suggested above that she was no danger to the public. The fact that you are twisting my words shows that you probably didn’t read what I had written. So I’ll try to be more explicit.

        Her actions did damage to her reputation, her trustworthiness and her job standing. In particular, pissing off your employer, who released a statement prior to her arrival that she and her team would not do the very thing that they did. In my book, that constitutes a very bad error in judgement.

        A couple of other things. If she’d had a second chance to do it over again would she still have made the drive? And, you never answered my question. Why did she make the decision. I’m baffled. The only thing i can think of is that she was sitting with her team and some genius said “Hey, want to have some fun. Let’s break quarantine and get some soup at that place in Hopewell”. And off they went (ha ha ha). I remember doing similar things when I was at sleep away camp at age 12. Makes you think.

  42. She’s a typical elitist who thinks she’s far above us common folk. The people in power and their favored media and professional sycophants don’t follow the rules that would put the rest of us in hot water. I hope this hypocrites public life is finished and she slinks back to anonymity.

  43. Here is a public health warning from Liberia warning people not to touch someone with signs of Ebola (photo from Nancy Snyderman’s FB page)

  44. I have admired Dr. Snyderman for a long time but no longer. I was absolutely unconscionable what she did. If you can’t even get a Dr. to do what is right then I thing we are in for a big world of hurt with this ebola epidemic. Shame on you Dr. Snyderman and I agree with the thought she should be fired. I will not be listening to any other advice from her or news program that has her on as an so called expert. Thank you

  45. Most of these comments show a total lack of knowledge about how Ebola is spread, and amount to nothing more than a witchhunt. Let’s start with the “quarantine:” It was self-imposed. The CDC recommends that people exposed to Ebola, as Dr. Snyderman was, steer clear of public transportation and avoid crowds. Was Dr. Snyderman spotted at the Princeton-Brown game? Nope. She was sitting in an enclosed car, endangering nobody. Second, someone who’s asymptomatic will not transmit Ebola under any circumstances. She knows that; she’s an MD, something Crystal Knapp isn’t, nor Whoopie Goldberg, nor the excreable Rosie O’Donnell. The NJ Department of Health knew that too, because they publicly said she was of no danger to anyone. Yet they imposed a mandatory quarantine or her and her fellow camera crew members, as punishment for her violating a quarantine order which never existed in the first place. One piece of fallout from Knapp’s idiocy was that a maid was fired. Why? Because the maid’s brother was a chef at the Peasant Grill, where the takeout order was picked up (not by Nancy Snyderman).
    You wanna know what constituted a public health emergency? That fat slob of a governor creating a traffic nightmare on the GW Bridge which resulted in a woman’s death because the ambulance couldn’t get to a hospital, that’s what. Not Nancy Snyderman.
    Knapp, take your blog and shove it.

    1. Yet another apologist who misses the point entirely. As a public figure, someone who puts themselves forward as a medical authority, and someone who quite publicly stated they’d quarantine themselves, she betrayed more or less everything she allegedly stands for when she went out. One of her crew members, similarly exposed, entered the restaurant, obviously with her blessing (she drove him there) so it is immaterial that she stayed in the car. Moreover, the “voluntary” quarantine obviously had some specifics attached to it, as she was said to have “violated” an “agreement” with health authorities. The voluntary thing is nice semantics, but clearly there was a little more to it. Anyway, blame the messenger all you want, but she did this to herself, pal.

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