Ebola Nurse Kaci Hickox Refuses to Follow 'Quarantine' as State Threatens Legal Action
The nurse quarantined in New Jersey upon returning from West Africa has been transferred to Maine but refuses to obey the suggestion to remain quarantined in her home.
Nurse Kaci Hickox insists she is free to move about, though authorities in Maine have said they may take legal action to keep her in one location. She previously worked with Ebola patients in West Africa and was immediately quarantined by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie upon her return even though she showed no signs of the disease and tested negative for Ebola.
"Going forward she does not intend to abide by the quarantine imposed by Maine officials because she is not a risk to others. She is asymptomatic and under all the protocols cannot be deemed a medical risk of being contagious to anyone," Hickox's lawyer, Steven Hyman said in a statement.
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Hickox became a national figure after being quarantined in New Jersey even though she tested negative for the virus. Gov. Christie was forced to release Hickox from her quarantine after national pressure. Hickox retained a lawyer to fight the isolation and Christie finally relented, allowing Hickox to return to her home in Maine, where she was reportedly ordered to remain quarantined for safety.
While she insists that she will not abide by the quarantine, she will practice self-monitoring and report to officials. Officials stated that they may enforce to "voluntary" quarantine health care workers who have treated Ebola patients. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew added that her department and the attorney general's office were willing to take legal steps to enforce quarantine.
"We do not want to have to legally enforce in-home quarantine," Mayhew said. "We're confident that selfless health care workers who were brave enough to care for Ebola patients in a foreign country will be willing to take reasonable steps to protect residents of their own country. However, we are willing to pursue legal authority if necessary to ensure risk is minimized for Mainers."
Hickox's boyfriend, a senior nursing student at the University of Maine at Fort Kent took time off to spend with her while she was at home. If she begins to show symptoms of Ebola, she and her boyfriend will both be quarantined. Other residents of Fort Kent have not been as supportive of Hickox's decision to disobey quarantine rules.
"I feel bad for Kaci, because I know that it's got to be hard feeling ostracized somewhat," Robin Pinette told WLBZ of Bangor. "But we're dealing with the whole community, not just one person here."
