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New York City To Offer Special Ebola Training For At-Risk City Employees

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration will offer specialized training on how to handle Ebola cases to the city workers who could be at the front lines if the deadly virus were diagnosed in New York City.

On Monday, city officials and leaders from the Municipal Labor Committee -- a group that represents more than 300,000 public employees -- will meet to discuss the city's plan for battling Ebola should it arrive in the city.

Members of the FDNY and NYPD as well as EMTs, nurses and hospital staffers are expected to attend the meeting.

"These are the people who will be in harm's way,'' Harry Nespoli, head of the Municipal Labor Committee, said Sunday. "Let's hope to God we never have to deal with it, but what this city is doing is preparing for the worst just in case.''

Meanwhile, as CBS 2's Don Champion reported, the Pentagon will now act as part of the nation's response to Ebola.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered the creation of a new military medical team made up of 30 people.

The team will include five doctors and 20 critical care nurses trained in infectious diseases, Champion reported. If needed, they can deploy anywhere within the U.S. within 72 hours.

"We want to make sure we go a step further," said

As the military readies its response, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has been offering insight on the new Ebola safety protocols.

"At my institution, it's predicated on no skin exposed, good training, having somebody monitor you back and forth," NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said.

Back in Texas, the 21-day quarantine is set to expire Sunday night for the family and friends of Thomas Duncan, the Liberian national who was the first to die of the virus in the U.S.

On Sunday, Texas Health Presbyterian sent out a letter apologizing for mistakes in handling Duncan's diagnosis.

Two nurses who treated Duncan have since contracted Ebola.

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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