Christie announces Ebola response team

HACKENSACK, N.J. (WPVI) -- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has authorized the creation of a task force to ensure all Garden State residents are protected if Ebola surfaces.

This comes on the heels of a scare in Newark overnight.

A man who was showing Ebola symptoms on Tuesday was brought to University Hospital and placed in isolation.

Today officials say he is not showing any symptoms and eh should be released after speaking with officials from the CDC.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd said at a news conference, "We have no suspected for positive cases of Ebola in New Jersey."

State health officials say the west African passenger who was taken off a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport Tuesday and rushed to University Hospital is not infected with Ebola.

That's good news for those who work in and around the hospital, where the ambulance that transported that traveler is still cordoned off.

Governor Christie says he's forming a joint response team to coordinate the handling of suspected Ebola cases in New Jersey and cautioned the public to be calm.

Christie says, "We are taking this extraordinarily seriously but we are not in the business of stoking hysteria."

The governor says the federal government should consider stopping travelers from west Africa from entering the United States, perhaps by suspending visas.

Officials say travelers from that region are now being tracked to Newark and four other airports.

The state has purchased $1 million-worth of personal protective equipment and hospitals continue to run drills.

Christie says his daughter, Bridget, and many other children are frightened by the intense coverage the Ebola crisis is getting. He says parents have to tamp down what he calls "the hysteria."

"I encourage parents to listen to children talk and calm them. The volume of coverage is leading to a lot of children to have fear that isn't proportional to the risk," the governor said.

In the meantime, the governor says a technical assistance team from the CDC is on the ground in New Jersey and will help to train medical personnel to handle Ebola cases.