Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

[MHSC]

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) ? In the wake of the first confirmed Ebola virus case in New York City, the states of New York and New Jersey have set up a new screening system that goes above and beyond the guidelines already set up by federal officials.

...

?We believe it within the State of New York and the State of New Jersey?s legal rights.?

Under the new rules, state officials will establish a risk level by considering the countries that people have visited and their level of possible exposure to Ebola.

The patients with the highest level of possible exposure will be automatically quarantined for 21 days at a government-regulated facility. Those with a lower risk will be monitored for temperature and symptoms, Cuomo explained.

The New York and New Jersey health departments will determine their own specific procedures for hospitalization and quarantine, and will provide a daily recap to state officials on the status of screening, New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said at the news conference.

The new procedures already have been put into use at Newark Liberty International Airport.

...

?Voluntary quarantine ? you know it?s almost an oxymoron. This is a very serious situation.? Cuomo said. ?Voluntary quarantine ? raise your right hand and promise you?re going to stay home for 21 days. We?ve seen what happens.?


http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/10...ory-quarantine-requirement-amid-ebola-threat/

 

[Dani]

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Also Illinois: http://abc7chicago.com/health/manda...365262/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Dani]

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Fauci: Quarantine Can Have Unintended Consequences

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that as a physician and scientist, he would have recommended against a quarantine.

"The best way to protect us is to stop the epidemic in Africa, and we need those health care workers so we do not want to put them in a position where it makes it very, very uncomfortable for them to even volunteer to go." he said.

He said active and direct monitoring can accomplish the same thing as a quarantine because people infected with Ebola do not become contagious until they start showing symptoms. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

White House Pressures States to Reverse Mandatory Ebola Quarantine Orders

By MARC SANTORA and MICHAEL D. SHEAROCT. 26, 2014

The Obama administration has been pushing the governors of New York and New Jersey to reverse their decision ordering all medical workers returning from West Africa who had contact with Ebola patients to be quarantined, an administration official said.

But on Sunday both governors, Andrew M. Cuomo of New York and Chris Christie of New Jersey, stood by their decision, saying that the federal guidelines did not go far enough.
...
The new quarantine policy could have an immediate effect on people working for one of the organizations that has been leading the effort the contain the spread of Ebola, Doctors Without Borders.

A total of 52 people from the United States have worked with Doctors Without Borders in West Africa on the Ebola response since it began in March, according to a spokesperson for the group. Of these, 31 are currently at work in West Africa. Twenty of those 31 individuals are scheduled to return sometime in the next four weeks.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/nyregion/ebola-quarantine.html?_r=0

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

And Florida too:

Florida Orders 21-Day Monitoring for Ebola
MIAMI, Florida ? Oct 26, 2014, 2:44 PM ET
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ Associated Press


snip


Scott said if the health department determines any of those monitored are at a high risk of contracting the disease, the state will take further action to protect those individuals and the rest of Florida with a mandatory quarantine.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/gov-rick-scott-orders-21-day-monitoring-ebola-26463732

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

...any of those monitored are at a high risk of contracting the disease, the state will take further action to protect those individuals and the rest of Florida with a mandatory quarantine.....

That is similar to what the US military is doing: those with no known ebola contacts will be monitored for 21 days, but those with known exposures will be quarantined for 21 days.

If it's necessary for our soldiers, why not for exposed HCW?

.

 

[Dani]

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

And Florida too:

Florida Orders 21-Day Monitoring for Ebola
MIAMI, Florida — Oct 26, 2014, 2:44 PM ET
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ Associated Press


snip


Scott said if the health department determines any of those monitored are at a high risk of contracting the disease, the state will take further action to protect those individuals and the rest of Florida with a mandatory quarantine.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/gov-rick-scott-orders-21-day-monitoring-ebola-26463732

What's not clear to me is how they found about those four individuals, or how they will know about future ones. After all, this is not limited to HCW's. If one's port of entry to the US is in another state, and the individuals drive home, how is it that Florida officials are going to find out? It'd be pretty easy to get around this.

 

[USALady]

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

They're funneling passengers with itineraries through or from W. Africa into only 5 airports in the US. That's what computers are for. All but one of those 5, I believe, have quarantines in place now, where they will catch these passengers. Eventually, I expect that the 5th will follow, if only not to have trouble because they would be the only one still open.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/ebol...ly-can-enter-5-us-airports-1413906804?tesla=y

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Andrew M. Cuomo - Governor
<!-- CONTENT AREA--><!-- new-press-content -->
New York State Releases Fact Sheet on State Screening Protocols at JFK International Airport

Albany, NY (October 26, 2014)

New York State today released the following fact sheet on the institution of State screening procedures for Ebola at JFK International Airport.

***​

Screening is first conducted by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). If a passenger has a recent travel history for any of the three affected countries, a secondary screening of the passenger will be conducted by CBP. If a person coming from any of the three affected countries has a fever or reports exposure to Ebola, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reviews.

An additional screening will now be performed by New York State Department of Health and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene personnel.


Scenario 1: If a person arrives and has symptoms of the Ebola virus, they will be transported, via medical transportation (in protective gear), to one of the New York City hospitals designated by the State to treat Ebola patients for further evaluation and treatment.


Scenario 2: If a person arrives and had direct contact with people infected with the Ebola virus but is asymptomatic, they will be transported by private vehicle (arranged by the New York State Department of Health or local health department) to their homes where they will be quarantined for 21 days. (For those without homes, other accommodations will be made.) Under quarantine, at least two unannounced visits by local officials (in coordination with state health officials) will be made each day to check the individual’s condition as well as ensure that the individual is complying with the quarantine order.

The New York State Department of Health or local health department will, if needed, coordinate care services such as food and medicine.

Any health care worker returning from one of the affected countries who had been treating patients with the Ebola virus and is sponsored by Doctors Without Borders, typically has their wages paid for three weeks by Doctors Without Borders. For any health care worker whose sponsoring organization does not do this or something similar for their workers, as well as adults who meet New York’s criteria for quarantine, they would be provided financial assistance for 21 days by the state (e.g., cover their rent/mortgage and standard per diem).

Family members would be allowed to stay with the person being quarantined. Friends would also be allowed to visit with the approval of the local health department.


Scenario 3: If a person arrives from one of the affected areas with no symptoms and had no direct contact with anyone infected with the Ebola virus, such cases would be treated on a case-by-case basis. At the minimum the New York State Department of Health or local health department will monitor these individuals twice a day for temperature and other symptoms until the 21 day incubation period is over, but these individuals would not automatically be subject to quarantine.

http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/10262014-jfk-ebola-screening-fact-sheet

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Re: New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

That is similar to what the US military is doing: those with no known ebola contacts will be monitored for 21 days, but those with known exposures will be quarantined for 21 days.

If it's necessary for our soldiers, why not for exposed HCW?

.

Gov. Scott Calls on Feds to Require Same Monitoring for Volunteer Workers as US Military to Protect Citizens, After New Ebola Case

On October 24, 2014, in News Releases, by Governor's Press Office
<!--/post-title -->
Governor Rick Scott released the following statement today, following the news of Doctor Craig Spencer testing positive for Ebola in New York after returning from Guinea last week where he treated Ebola patients:

?The news of Dr. Spencer testing positive for Ebola after returning to the US last week from treating Ebola patients makes it clear that the CDC and federal government must do more to protect healthcare workers around the world and our citizens here at home.

?The Department of Defense?s guidance for US military members who are deployed to fight Ebola in Africa requires even those at low risk of exposure to be monitored by healthcare professionals with twice daily checkups for 21 days after they return home. Returning military members with a high-risk of exposure are required to be monitored under quarantine for 21 days.

?This 21-day period of care for military men and women allows them to be closely monitored after they have been in contact with Ebola. It is common sense for the federal government to standardize this protocol for all volunteers and personnel in Ebola-infected areas. The federal government must provide the same level of precautionary care for volunteer healthcare workers, like Dr. Spencer, and federal non-military personnel, including the CDC, as they do for the US military. They are all on the frontlines of the fight against Ebola, and they are all expected to return to the US.

?Ensuring that all workers abroad are required to take the same safeguards and precautions as our US military personnel will not only provide an equal level of care for these selfless healthcare workers, it will also better protect all our citizens here in Florida and across the country from any threat of this deadly disease.

?We are glad that we still do not have a case of Ebola here in Florida, and we hope we never do, but we must do everything we can to prepare to combat this disease ? and urge the federal government to do everything in their power to stay ahead of its spread and not fall behind, as the CDC has already admitted happened to them with the fatal case in Dallas.?

DOD Protocol for returning personnel is available HERE.

http://www.flgov.com/2014/10/24/gov...ary-to-protect-citizens-after-new-ebola-case/

 

[Thornton]

Re: Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Are there any links to the actual declarations of authority by Gov Scott rather than the news reports?

For what it is worth I post the CDC resource page

http://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/specificlawsregulations.html

and an Oct 9 2014 recent congressional review on the federal and State Quarantine authorities.

http://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL33201.pdf

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

........
and an Oct 9 2014 recent congressional review on the federal and State Quarantine authorities.

http://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL33201.pdf

Starting with "State Police Power and Quarantine Authority" (p. 5) and through "Due Process Challenges" (enging p. 11) I believe that report makes a good case for States' rights to enact isolation and quarantine similar to what New York & New Jersey originally proposed . See the referenced court case summaries under "Due Process Challenges" for cases that are similar and courts upheld the quarantines.

.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/26/politics/ebola-quarantine-christie-white-house/index.html

Quarantined woman to be discharged, Christie's office announces
By Sara Fischer, CNN
updated 9:49 AM EDT, Mon October 27, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- After a heated weekend of sparring between a quarantined nurse and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the nurse is being discharged, the state's Department of Health said in a statement Monday morning.

A battle of words broke out Sunday between Kaci Hickox, who returned home from Ebola-ravaged West Africa only to be ordered into quarantine, and the governor, with the nurse telling CNN that her "basic human rights have been violated" and that Christie himself was responsible.

Hickox has will be transported by name by a private carrier, "not via mass transit or commercial aircraft," read the statement, which was blasted out by Christie's office.

"She will remain subject to New Jersey's mandatory quarantine order while in New Jersey," the statement continues. "Health officials in Maine have been notified of her arrangements and will make a determination under their own laws on her treatment when she arrives."...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey Set Up Mandatory Quarantine Requirement Amid Ebola Threat

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...bola-quarantine-restrictions-after-criticism/

New York Gov. Cuomo loosens Ebola quarantine restrictions after criticism
Published October 27, 2014
FoxNews.com

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced late Sunday that he had loosened some of the restrictions in a mandatory 21-day Ebola quarantine that he had ordered along with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie this past Friday.

Under the revised guidelines, medical professionals who have had contact with Ebola patients will be quarantined at home and receive twice-daily monitoring if they have no symptoms. Family members will be allowed to stay, and friends may visit with the approval of health officials. The state will also pay for any lost compensation, if they are not paid by a volunteer organization.

The new guidelines come after White House officials and health experts strongly criticized the mandatory quarantine, which was put in place in response to the infection of a New York City doctor, Craig Spencer. Cuomo had originally criticized Dr. Spencer for not obeying a 21-day voluntary quarantine. But on Sunday, he called the health care workers "heroes" and said his administration would encourage more medical workers to volunteer to fight Ebola...