Countries around the world are barring visitors from West African countries affected by the Ebola virus outbreak, but New York City remains open for business after its first case was reported.

USA Today reported that no tours or meetings have been canceled, according to the spokesman for the city's tourism arm.

A physician who just returned from Guinea, one of the three highly affected countries, tested positive for Ebola on Thursday. Media reports publicized his whereabouts prior to the test results, which included a subway train between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

But none of that information seems to have stopped life in the city that never sleeps, and the tens of millions each year that come to visit haven't turned their back.

The city is on track to see at least 55.8 million visitors this year.

The city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, reassured residents that it is impossible to catch the virus from casual contact. It is unlike other dangerous airborne diseases.

The transportation department, which oversees the subways, released a statement reassuring travelers that it was safe to continue using the trains.

"The MTA New York City subway system is safe to ride,'' the agency said in a statement, USA Today reported. "The person diagnosed with Ebola in New York City rode the subway several times since returning from abroad, but the state and city health commissioners agree there was no risk to any other subway customers or any MTA employees."

Ebola can be contracted by prolonged physical contact with an infected individual's bodily fluids, such as blood, feces and sweat.

The virus has killed more than 4,900 individuals, mostly in the three West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The outbreak has also affected countries like Nigeria and Senegal, but they have been able to control the spread.

The first patient in the U.S. was reported in Dallas, and since then, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has had to ramp up efforts to deal with the issues.

Travelers from the three affected West African countries are now required to fly into only the approved five airport hubs -- Atlanta, Chicago, New York JFK, Newark and Washington, D.C.