Maine seeks legal powers to force nurse into quarantine

[cali]

Gov. Paul LePage said Wednesday that Ebola nurse Kaci Hickox was "unwilling" to follow state health guidelines and that he was seeking legal authority to force her to remain quarantined at a rural home in Maine for 21 days.

Hickox, who does not have any symptoms of the deadly virus, said Wednesday that she would not abide by quarantine rules that she said were "not scientifically nor constitutionally just."

"I don't plan on sticking to the guidelines," Hickox tells Today show's Matt Lauer via Skype. "I am not going to sit around and be bullied by politicians and forced to stay in my home when I am not a risk to the American public."

<snip>

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/29/ebola-nurse-maine/18105327/

[rusty fender]

1. They just have to ask the military to draft her!

[Brigid]

2. Sure would make me want to volunteer to go to West Africa

If I were a nurse. Yes indeed.

[FLPanhandle]

3. Idiots

She is zero risk.

Maybe they should quarantine anyone with the flu this season as that's actually easily transmitted and kills people.

[cali]

4. she's not zero risk, but she is a minimal risk.

and I trust her to behave responsibly.

[B2G]

6. Shes' a risk level above low, according to the CDC

That's one level below 'high'. It's not 'minimal'.

Please note that it's the same risk level as exposure close contact without PPE.

******************************************************

New risk levels

The new guidance defines four risk levels based on degree of exposure:

High risk—direct contact of infected body fluids through:

•needle stick, or splashes to eyes, nose, or mouth
•getting body fluids directly on skin
•handling body fluids, such as in a laboratory, without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) or following recommended safety precautions
•touching a dead body without correctly wearing PPE in a country with widespread Ebola transmission (In countries with widespread Ebola transmission, it is not always known what a person died of. Therefore touching any dead body in one of these countries is considered a high risk exposure.)
•living with and caring for a person showing symptoms of Ebola

Some risk—

•close contact with a person showing symptoms of Ebola such as in a household, health care facility, or the community (no PPE worn). Close contact means being within 3 feet of the person with Ebola for a long time without wearing PPE.
•in countries with widespread Ebola transmission: direct contact with a person showing symptoms of Ebola while wearing PPE


Low risk (but not zero)—

•having been in a country with widespread Ebola transmission within the previous 21 days and having no known exposure
•being in the same room for a brief period of time (without direct contact) with a person showing symptoms of Ebola
•having brief skin contact with a person showing symptoms of Ebola when the person was believed to be not very contagious
•in countries without widespread Ebola transmission: direct contact with a person showing symptoms of Ebola while wearing PPE
•travel on an airplane with a person showing symptoms of Ebola

No risk—

•contact with a person who is NOT showing symptoms AFTER that person was in contact with a person with Ebola
•contact with a person with Ebola BEFORE the person was showing symptoms
•having traveled to a country with Ebola outbreak MORE than 21 days ago
•having been in a country where there is no widespread Ebola transmission (e.g., the United States), and having no other exposures to Ebola

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/fs1027-monitoring-symptoms-controlling-movement.html

[uppityperson]

5. I wonder if they will then be able to detain other people who "may be" a threat in the future?

This could have repercussions way beyond ebola.

[HereSince1628]

7. Well Hickox can take it to court...

I suspect she'll find that the governor and the state of Maine have legitimate authority, even if, the privileged status she holds doesn't agree.

[dilby]

8. When you strip One person of their Civil Liberties in the name of protecting the masses.

You have setup a system where it's easy to strip the masses of their Civil Liberties. This is why I oppose these quarantines, if someone is not showing any symptoms their is no need to overreact and lock them up from the world.

[HereSince1628]

10. The state response needs to be better considered, but

a person simply can't choose to disobey legitimate regulation without the state stepping in.

Obviously, she can contest the quarantine order in court. But she could have done that while appearing to comply with the order.

Nurses and MDs don't have special privilege with respect to complying with lawful regulation.

[dilby]

12. The state is making up regulations on the fly.

Furthermore unless the state has the ability to show how she is a threat to anyone I don't see how they can justify what they are asking. If the state wants her to sit at home 21 days they need to show how she is a direct threat. Science has already shown unless she is symptomatic she is not a threat, I suggest we go with Science over hysteria and made for 24/7 NEWS drama.

[HereSince1628]

13. BUT the state is doing it within their authority to react to an emergency.

I think the isolation isn't necessary.

But I think an attitude that a person can be above law and regulation can't be tolerated without challenge.

She could have, should have, challenged the rule in court. There are plenty of groups who would have helped her do that, and still may help her to do that.

[dilby]

14. Calling a woman who has no symptoms an emergency is a little over kill.

An emergency is if she is hemorrhaging blood from her orifices, no fever is not an emergency and they are not protecting anyone the Governor is stomping on her civil liberties all to get Republican Votes as he panders to his base.

[HereSince1628]

15. The rule wasn't made especially for her.

That would run afoul of the issue behind the ban on bills of attainder

The situation that is deemed to require state executive orders, rather than waiting for legislative action is the urgent need to have rules to deal with an increasing number of persons returning from epidemic areas in west Africa.

I think the provisions in the isolation rules were wrong, but I think the governors DO have a responsibility to act.

When you are in a position of responsibility, you are required to act responsibly.

The nurse thinks she's exceptional to such rules.

She can face the consequences of that in court. She could have done that without making public threats of her intention to not comply.

[Adrahil]

9. FEMA camps! Nt

[Downwinder]

11. Are the medical staff of Bellevue Hospital in quarantine?

[avebury]

16. As well as the Medical Staff at any other

facility that has taken Ebola patients.