Under Pressure, Cuomo Loosens Policy for Ebola Quarantines
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Sunday night outlined New York State’s mandatory quarantine policy for health care workers returning from West African nations with Ebola outbreaks, bringing the state closer into line with federal protocols and marking a significant break with the way the policy has been carried out in New Jersey.
The announcement comes after the Obama administration pressed New York to rescind its order, issued only two days ago in a joint press conference with New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie. New Jersey officials, who stood by their decision on Sunday, have yet to explain many details of their quarantine policy. The state has come under scathing criticism for the treatment of a nurse returning from Sierra Leone, who was forced into quarantine in a hastily erected tent at a New Jersey hospital even though she had not displayed any signs of illness and tested negative for Ebola.
Earlier in the day, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the treatment of the nurse, Kaci Hickox, had been shameful and vowed that New York City would do all it could to honor the work of the health care workers here and those who go to help fight the epidemic in West Africa.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/nyregion/ebola-quarantine.html?emc=edit_na_20141026
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