Wise Owl
Deceased
Kaci Hickox says ‘abundance of politics’ behind Ebola quarantines
Kaci Hickox (left) is joined by her boyfriend, Ted Wilbur, to speak with the media outside of their home in Fort Kent in this October 2014 file photo.
By Reuters,
Posted Nov. 02, 2014, at 1:55 p.m.
Last modified Nov. 02, 2014, at 3:56 p.m.
FORT KENT, Maine — A U.S. nurse who challenged quarantines of health care workers returning from treating West African Ebola patients said on Sunday she thought “an abundance of politics” lurked behind them.
Kaci Hickox has fought a heated public battle over what she considers draconian measures to isolate her for 21 days after her return from Sierra Leone, in a case that highlights the dilemma over how to balance public health needs and personal liberty.
In some U.S. states officials such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have imposed strict quarantines on health workers returning from three Ebola-ravaged West African countries, but the U.S. federal government opposes such measures.
“When Gov. Christie stated that it was an abundance of caution, which is his reasoning for putting health care workers in a sort of quarantine for three weeks, it was really an abundance of politics,” Hickox said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“And I think all of the scientific and medical and public health community agrees with me on that statement,” she said.
Christie has defended his decision to impose a mandatory three-week quarantine, saying that counting on a voluntary system may or may not work and that protecting health and safety is the government’s job.
The most deadly outbreak of Ebola on record has killed nearly 5,000 people, all but a handful of them in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Hickox tested negative for Ebola after returning recently from working for Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone. But she was placed in an isolation tent in New Jersey when she returned before being allowed to leave for Maine, which also sought to quarantine her at home.
A judge in Maine on Friday rejected that state’s bid to quarantine Hickox, instead imposing limited restrictions on her. The judge said that Hickox must continue direct monitoring of her health, coordinate travel plans with health officials and report any symptoms.
“We know a lot about Ebola,” Hickox told “Meet the Press.” “We know that it’s not transmitted from someone who is asymptomatic, as I am and many other aid workers will be when they return.”
Speaking to NBC from Fort Kent, Hickox indicated she would continue to stay away from crowds in her community, but that her boyfriend, Ted Wilbur, should be allowed to go back to nursing school on Monday.
“I understand that the community has been through a lot in the past week, and I do, you know, apologize to them for that,” she told NBC.
“I will not go into town, into crowded public places. … But on the other hand, you know, my partner is currently in nursing school, and there is definitely zero scientific evidence that says he shouldn’t be allowed to return to his campus on Monday.”
Hickox also has assured the town’s police chief, Tom Pelletier, that she doesn’t plan on going in town and that she doesn’t want to worry townspeople, even though she has not tested positive for the disease, has shown no symptoms and thus cannot transmit it to others.
“They understand the sentiment in the community, and they do not want to be disruptive,” Pelletier said.
“I believe them,” he added. “The governor has made some statements that have not helped us keep civility in the town.”
Gov. Paul LePage expressed disappointment with the judge’s decision Friday, saying the state would nonetheless abide by the law.
“She’s violated every promise she’s made so far, so I can’t trust her,” he said Friday, answering reporters’ questions after a news conference celebrating a business opening in Yarmouth. “I don’t trust her.”
Pelletier has been running food and supplies out to the couple for the past several days. He’s also been collecting gifts and deliveries for them so that he can monitor what goes into the house.
The chief also has been bringing a CDC employee to the residence to check in on Hickox and ensure she isn’t experiencing any symptoms.
The area around the home was significantly quieter Saturday than it has been for the majority of the week. National news network crews started checking out of their hotels Friday night, after the district court judge decided the state’s attempts to restrict Hickox’s movements were excessive and not justifiable because she has shown no symptoms of the disease and thus cannot transmit it to others.
Only one person in the United States is being treated for Ebola, a New York doctor, Craig Spencer, who cared for patients in West Africa. His condition was upgraded by New York City health officials on Saturday to “stable” from “serious but stable” at Bellevue Hospital.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, says the question about the quarantine of Hickox is a tough one.
“The libertarian in me is horrified at the idea of indefinitely detaining, or detaining anyone without a trial,” Paul told CNN’s Candi Crowley in an interview that aired Sunday.
“One of the basic rights we inherited from the English and we got from common law was the right of habeas corpus, to present the body,” Paul said. “If the king were detaining you in the Tower of London, or a governor or anybody who is detaining you, you have to have recourse to a lawyer.
“I think there is a reasonable public concern, saying you shouldn’t be going to the discotheque, you shouldn’t be going to the local bar, you shouldn’t be going to the local school cafeteria,” Paul said. “I think there are reasonable precautions.”
Paul also noted that the federal government should have stepped in to place travel restrictions on visas and those returning. He said that we should have a “uniform way of accepting people back in the country.”
“We have to be careful of people’s civil liberties,” said Paul. “But I’m also not saying that the government doesn’t have a role in trying to prevent contagion. So there are exceptions to things.”
Kaci Hickox (left) is joined by her boyfriend, Ted Wilbur, to speak with the media outside of their home in Fort Kent in this October 2014 file photo.
By Reuters,
Posted Nov. 02, 2014, at 1:55 p.m.
Last modified Nov. 02, 2014, at 3:56 p.m.
FORT KENT, Maine — A U.S. nurse who challenged quarantines of health care workers returning from treating West African Ebola patients said on Sunday she thought “an abundance of politics” lurked behind them.
Kaci Hickox has fought a heated public battle over what she considers draconian measures to isolate her for 21 days after her return from Sierra Leone, in a case that highlights the dilemma over how to balance public health needs and personal liberty.
In some U.S. states officials such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have imposed strict quarantines on health workers returning from three Ebola-ravaged West African countries, but the U.S. federal government opposes such measures.
“When Gov. Christie stated that it was an abundance of caution, which is his reasoning for putting health care workers in a sort of quarantine for three weeks, it was really an abundance of politics,” Hickox said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“And I think all of the scientific and medical and public health community agrees with me on that statement,” she said.
Christie has defended his decision to impose a mandatory three-week quarantine, saying that counting on a voluntary system may or may not work and that protecting health and safety is the government’s job.
The most deadly outbreak of Ebola on record has killed nearly 5,000 people, all but a handful of them in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Hickox tested negative for Ebola after returning recently from working for Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone. But she was placed in an isolation tent in New Jersey when she returned before being allowed to leave for Maine, which also sought to quarantine her at home.
A judge in Maine on Friday rejected that state’s bid to quarantine Hickox, instead imposing limited restrictions on her. The judge said that Hickox must continue direct monitoring of her health, coordinate travel plans with health officials and report any symptoms.
“We know a lot about Ebola,” Hickox told “Meet the Press.” “We know that it’s not transmitted from someone who is asymptomatic, as I am and many other aid workers will be when they return.”
Speaking to NBC from Fort Kent, Hickox indicated she would continue to stay away from crowds in her community, but that her boyfriend, Ted Wilbur, should be allowed to go back to nursing school on Monday.
“I understand that the community has been through a lot in the past week, and I do, you know, apologize to them for that,” she told NBC.
“I will not go into town, into crowded public places. … But on the other hand, you know, my partner is currently in nursing school, and there is definitely zero scientific evidence that says he shouldn’t be allowed to return to his campus on Monday.”
Hickox also has assured the town’s police chief, Tom Pelletier, that she doesn’t plan on going in town and that she doesn’t want to worry townspeople, even though she has not tested positive for the disease, has shown no symptoms and thus cannot transmit it to others.
“They understand the sentiment in the community, and they do not want to be disruptive,” Pelletier said.
“I believe them,” he added. “The governor has made some statements that have not helped us keep civility in the town.”
Gov. Paul LePage expressed disappointment with the judge’s decision Friday, saying the state would nonetheless abide by the law.
“She’s violated every promise she’s made so far, so I can’t trust her,” he said Friday, answering reporters’ questions after a news conference celebrating a business opening in Yarmouth. “I don’t trust her.”
Pelletier has been running food and supplies out to the couple for the past several days. He’s also been collecting gifts and deliveries for them so that he can monitor what goes into the house.
The chief also has been bringing a CDC employee to the residence to check in on Hickox and ensure she isn’t experiencing any symptoms.
The area around the home was significantly quieter Saturday than it has been for the majority of the week. National news network crews started checking out of their hotels Friday night, after the district court judge decided the state’s attempts to restrict Hickox’s movements were excessive and not justifiable because she has shown no symptoms of the disease and thus cannot transmit it to others.
Only one person in the United States is being treated for Ebola, a New York doctor, Craig Spencer, who cared for patients in West Africa. His condition was upgraded by New York City health officials on Saturday to “stable” from “serious but stable” at Bellevue Hospital.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, says the question about the quarantine of Hickox is a tough one.
“The libertarian in me is horrified at the idea of indefinitely detaining, or detaining anyone without a trial,” Paul told CNN’s Candi Crowley in an interview that aired Sunday.
“One of the basic rights we inherited from the English and we got from common law was the right of habeas corpus, to present the body,” Paul said. “If the king were detaining you in the Tower of London, or a governor or anybody who is detaining you, you have to have recourse to a lawyer.
“I think there is a reasonable public concern, saying you shouldn’t be going to the discotheque, you shouldn’t be going to the local bar, you shouldn’t be going to the local school cafeteria,” Paul said. “I think there are reasonable precautions.”
Paul also noted that the federal government should have stepped in to place travel restrictions on visas and those returning. He said that we should have a “uniform way of accepting people back in the country.”
“We have to be careful of people’s civil liberties,” said Paul. “But I’m also not saying that the government doesn’t have a role in trying to prevent contagion. So there are exceptions to things.”
