Maine officials threaten to order returning Ebola nurse to follow quarantine protocol

This undated image provided by University of Texas at Arlington shows Kaci Hickox. (AP Photo/University of Texas at Arlington)

Maine health officials said Tuesday that they are prepared to go to court to force nurse Kaci Hickox to comply with the state's "voluntary" 21-day quarantine period for health care workers who have treated Ebola patients. 

Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew declined during a news conference to comment specifically on Hickox, who was confined against her will at a New Jersey hospital before traveling home to Maine. But Mayhew said her department and the attorney general's office were prepared to take legal steps to enforce a quarantine if someone declines to cooperate.

"We do not want to have to legally enforce in-home quarantine," she said. "We're confident that selfless health 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 lawyer insisted Tuesday that she was not under quarantine and said she was seeking time to decompress at an undisclosed location in Maine.

Hickox, who volunteered in Africa with Doctors Without Borders, was the first person forced into New Jersey's mandatory quarantine for people arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport from three West African countries.

Hickox, who spent the weekend in a quarantine tent, said she never had Ebola symptoms and tested negative in a preliminary evaluation, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were sharply criticized for ordering mandatory quarantines.

In Maine, a quarantine comes into play only when people have had contact with Ebola patients; others who've been to the three countries will be monitored, officials said.

On Monday, Hickox traveled from New Jersey to Maine, where her boyfriend is a senior nursing student at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Her boyfriend opted to leave Fort Kent to spend time with her during the quarantine period, officials said Tuesday.

If Hickox were to show Ebola symptoms, then her boyfriend and any others who had contact with her also would be subject to quarantine, Mayhew said.

The news of Hickox's return to Maine swept across the town of Fort Kent and the university campus, which has 1,400 students.

Faith Morneault, a 19-year-old behavioral science student, said news that Hickox may be headed to Fort Kent had caused "a lot of panic" among students. But she said she understands her desire to go home.

"You can't freak out in this situation. You have to understand it," she said.

Another student, 20-year-old behavioral science major Kayla Michaud, said students also are worried because of the potential presence of Hickox's boyfriend in the school community.

"If she's in quarantine, is he going to be quarantined, because we don't all want to be contaminated with the Ebola virus," she said.

Not everyone was alarmed, however.

Paul Berube, who works at a local credit union, said he thinks some residents are "overreacting."

"Listen, we don't live in a Third World country. We have some of the best medical hospitals here. We're prepared for it. We can't stop living. We need to live one day at a time and just be happy," said Berube, 58.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kaci Hickox: I'll Go To Court If Maine Quarantines Me Over Ebola

FORT KENT, Maine (AP) — A nurse who was confined against her will at a New Jersey hospital after returning from West Africa where she treated Ebola patients said Wednesday that she's prepared to go to court if the state of Maine tries to quarantine her.

Kaci Hickox spoke to NBC's "Today" show and ABC's "Good Morning America" from Fort Kent, where her boyfriend is a senior nursing student.

She said she has so far abided by the state's voluntary quarantine. She had no contact with anyone Tuesday and will have no human contact again Wednesday, she said.

"I don't plan on sticking to the guidelines," Hickox said on "Today." ''I remain appalled by these home quarantine policies that have been forced upon me even though I am in perfectly good health."

Her lawyer told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Hickox isn't willing to cooperate further unless the state lifts "all or most of the restrictions."

Hickox, who volunteered in Africa with Doctors Without Borders, was the first person forced into New Jersey's mandatory quarantine for people arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport from three West African countries.

Hickox, who spent the weekend in a quarantine tent, said she never had Ebola symptoms and tested negative in a preliminary evaluation, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were sharply criticized for ordering mandatory quarantines.

"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," she said.

On Tuesday, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew said her department and the attorney general's office were prepared to take legal steps to legally enforce the state's voluntary quarantine if someone declines to cooperate.

"We do not want to have to legally enforce in-home quarantine," she said. "We're confident that selfless health 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."

One of Hickox's lawyers, Norman Siegel, said the quarantine can't be voluntary if she's being coerced by the state. He said she returned Tuesday evening to Fort Kent and has a state trooper stationed outside her home.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage canceled his campaign events Wednesday to deal with the situation, his office said.

Siegel said he remains hopeful the state will ease its restrictions. If not, then the state would have to go to court, and Siegel would challenge the state's action, he said.

"Our position is very simple. There's no justification for the state of Maine to quarantine her. She has no symptoms and therefore she's not contagious. And she's not at a risk to the public or the health and welfare of people in the state of Maine," he said.

UPDATE ON STAFFING FOR THE EBOLA CRISIS:

Please be advised that, at this time, Doctors Without Borders is no longer recruiting specifically for the Ebola emergency in West Africa. However, if you would like to be considered for the Ebola response in addition to other field assignments, please specify this on your field application.

Future updates regarding recruitment for the Ebola crisis will be posted on our website.

Thank you very much for your interest.  We appreciate your willingness to contribute to our efforts.  

For further inquiries, email Field.HR@newyork.msf.org. Please note that we are responding to a high volume of emails at the moment and will do our best to respond in a timely manner.

as to the criticism by Piers Morgan ???

ha ha ha 

too funny

this is the idiot  who is 100% gun control

but who employed an ARMED security service to protect him

glad he lost his job at CNN

just another soap box hero