The Quarantine Dilemma
A Maine nurse is pissed about how she was treated in NJ. She was forcefully quarantined after returning from working with Ebola patients in West Africa. To quell the panic of its citizens, New Jersey Governor Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo jointly announced a new quarantine policy:
Under New Jersey’s protocol, state residents who come into contact with someone with Ebola would be subject to a mandatory, 21-day quarantine at home, even if they had no symptoms. Non-residents who landed in the state would be taken home if feasible or otherwise quarantined in New Jersey.
To be honest, the politicians are stuck between a rock and a hard place on this issue. If they don’t do something, they are criticized and if they do something they are criticized. I expect to see a lawsuit about this case and these policies. I also expect to see MAJOR panic in Maine where they have been known to put a teacher on paid leave for visiting Dallas. Yes, visiting Dallas.
Quarantine or no, why aren’t these people being treated like heroes? I can’t imagine dealing with all that PPE in the heat. And to mistreat anyone from Doctors without Borders, instead of saying “Thank goodness it could have been so much worse without these guys; next time let’s listen to them cause we sure should have sooner this time.”
Pretty inconsistent to want to do good in Africa, but to be so cavalier about causing potential harm here.
Yes, let’s liken quarantine to prison. This nurse needs to stop being a baby and understand that this is for the greater good of all.