Ebola quarantine coming to Fort Monmouth

EATONTOWN – Travelers to the Newark Liberty International Airport from West Africa who may have been exposed to the deadly Ebola virus could be housed at Fort Monmouth, under "confidential" contingency plans discussed by government officials.

Eatontown Mayor Dennis Connelly said Monday no possible Ebola patients are at the fort now or have ever been, and that he does not believe the quarantine facility has opened. The New Jersey Department of Human Services confirmed that they have a six-month agreement with the fort, but a spokeswoman would divulge no specifics.

"We're not happy about it being placed there," Connelly said. "On the same token, I don't believe we're at any risk. We've been assured that these are people who don't have any symptoms; they just may been exposed, and if they begin to show symptoms, like a fever, they would be transferred out to another facility."

Local opinions were not solicited before the decision was made, according to a statement from Monmouth County Freehold Lillian Burry and the three mayors of the towns that surround the fort.

"This lease was imposed on (the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority) by the executive branch and was not vetted at a public meeting or voted on by the entire Board," the statement reads. "The lease was actually signed by the Attorney General and was not supported by the Board as a whole."

Oceanport Mayor Michael Mahon said he was "deeply disappointed" that the state chose the fort as a quarantine location.

"The action by the state is taken without transparency and the benefit of a broad discussion of concerns, risks, and protective measures to safeguard public health with the local stakeholders," Mahon told the Asbury Park Press.

The DHS says the department "communicated often with local and county officials, as well as with representatives of (the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority), throughout the process." FMERA, which was created to take control of the decommissioned base's land with an eye toward commercial development, referred all questions to the DHS, which declined to comment beyond a short statement.

Under New Jersey's Ebola Preparedness Plan, unveiled by Gov. Chris Christie in October, individuals who arrive in Newark from West Africa and who the state department of health determines to be "at risk" — not including New Jersey residents or those showing symptoms of infection — are to be quarantined at a state-provided facility for 21 days.

According to Connelly, the plan is for Fort Monmouth to take patients in the event that the quarantine at Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital in Hunterdon County hits capacity. No quarantine locations in New Jersey have been used to this point, a DHS spokeswoman said.

The facility would be within the Suneagles Golf Course property, which the FMERA is actively attempting to sell, according to Tinton Falls Mayor Gerald Turning.

"It makes it difficult to market or sell this property," Turning said.

Excluding local sentiment out of the selection process could undermine the continued collaboration between the state and local governments that is necessary to carry out the redevelopment plan, according to Burry and the mayors.

"Such action should not be repeated in the future," their statement warns.

It was Turning's understanding that the agreement, which he says was worked out between the U.S. Army and the state, expires at the end of June, but that it could be extended. The U.S. Army did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Discussions about the contingencies began with DHS in November, Connelly said, but were kept confidential. He shared the information publicly after information was sent by DHS to borough fire and first-aid officials, who had no idea about the plans. The news was first reported by The Link News.

Ebola is a rare and deadly virus transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of someone who has Ebola, or through contact with the body of someone who died from the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Jan. 27, 8,829 people in West Africa have been killed by the virus. There have been four confirmed cases in the U.S., including one man who died in Texas in October and a medical aid worker who was diagnosed in late October in New York City and later recovered.

Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com