Duncan's family nearing end of critical period

DALLAS, TX (KTRK) -- Thomas Eric Duncan's family members are nearing the end of their 21-day critical period, and right now they remain Ebola-free.

Stanley Gaye, the head of the Liberian Community Association in Dallas, he says he's been in touch with Duncan's fiance everyday of her isolation period. She and the rest of his family have no symptoms, he says. Now his community is trying to keep things as normal as they possibly can.

For the nearly 10,000 Liberians in the Dallas area, the Ebola crisis is a reminder that the world really is a small place.

Gaye's family is still in Liberia; they tells him the outbreak seems to be slowing down there but they're not out of the woods.

"They're still being careful of how they gather around. They're still seeing people being affected and people dying," he said.

Since Duncan was diagnosed at Texas Health Presbyterian last month, Gaye says things have been a little tough for his people in the city.

"People have been saying that Liberians are being stigmatized, people have been sent home. People, when you say you're from Liberia, they look at you funny," Gaye said.

Lucy Roberts moved to Dallas from Liberia nearly 30 years ago. She says she's doing her part to help stop the virus from spreading by sending over these boxes of Clorox and hand sanitizer. But she believes stopping the virus is beyond any government's control.

"We need to pray because this is a virus that can go all around the whole world. This is a time for Christians to really seek the face of God," Roberts said.

Officials on the ground in Dallas stand firm on their belief that there's no reason to panic. Gaye agrees.

Gaye says that Ebola is not one person or one country's disease, and he prays a cure is found.