(MENAFN- The Peninsula) A judge yesterday ordered an American nurse who treated Ebola patients in Sierra Leone for the disease to obey a state-imposed quarantine after she defied Maine officials and went for a bike ride.
The temporary order from Charles LaVerdiere, chief judge of the Maine District Court, turned up the heat in the confrontation over the quarantine between the New England state's officials and nurse Kaci Hickox.
LaVerdiere instructed Hickox to submit to "direct active monitoring" and "not to be present in public places" like shopping centres, movie theatres or workplaces, except to receive necessary health care.
Hickox, 33, has tested negative for Ebola after returning from working for Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone, one of the three impoverished West African countries at the heart of the outbreak that has killed about 5,000 people there. Saying she is completely healthy, she has challenged quarantines imposed on her in both New Jersey, where she arrived, and her home state of Maine.
The confrontation between Hickox and Maine has become the focal point of a dispute pitting several US states opting for stringent measures to guard against Ebola against the federal government, which has expressed concern that such measures could discourage potential medical volunteers from fighting the outbreak in West Africa.
Medical professionals say Ebola is difficult to catch and is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person and is not transmitted by asymptomatic people. Ebola is not airborne.
The Maine order permits Hickox to engage in what the judge called "non-congregate public activities" like walking or jogging in a park, but instructs her to maintain a three-foot distance from other people.
Outside her two-story home on Friday, there were numerous journalists and television news trucks, as well as a state trooper parked across the street to keep an eye on the house. The local police chief entered the home but afterward declined to tell reporters what was discussed, saying it was a "good morning conversation." Hickox did not appear in public.
Judge LaVerdiere wrote that his order came in response to the state's request "regarding the public health threat allegedly posed" by the nurse.
The order, dated on Thursday but made public on Friday, said Hickox's attorney agreed that the nurse would not leave her home for the time being. LaVerdiere wrote that a full hearing on the matter must be held not less than three days and not more than 10 days from when the state sought to enforce its quarantine.
On Thursday, Hickox defied Maine officials and left her home in the small town of Fort Kent, along the Canadian border, taking a bicycle ride with her boyfriend. Hickox had given Maine a deadline of Thursday to lift an order that she remain at home until Nov. 10. The state did not lift the quarantine.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.