'I will NOT Quarantine myself' - U.S Nurse who spent 5 weeks caring for Ebola patients in Sierra Leone
Last week,Kaci Hickox, a nurse who spent 5 weeks caring for Ebola patients in Sierra Leone was quarantined in a tent against her will in New Jersey. She then got a lawyer and slammed the quarantine system ,calling it imprisonment and a violation of right to freedom of movement.
She was released after testing negative but was and told to observe a 21 day quarantine at her home in Maine ..However, she insists she won't do that ,and vowed to fight the quarantine policy in court if necessary.
She told Matt Lauer this morning on "The Today Show"
She was released after testing negative but was and told to observe a 21 day quarantine at her home in Maine ..However, she insists she won't do that ,and vowed to fight the quarantine policy in court if necessary.
She told Matt Lauer this morning on "The Today Show"
“You know, I don’t plan on sticking to the guidelines. I remain appalled by these home quarantine policies that have been forced upon me, even though I am in perfectly good health and feeling strong and have been this entire time completely symptom free. I’m thankful to be out of the tent in Newark, but I found myself in yet another prison, just in a different environment,” (continue)
“I truly believe this policy is not scientifically nor constitutionally just, and so I’m not going to sit around and be bullied around by politicians and be forced to stay in my home when I am not a risk to the American public.”Matt Lauer asked:
“Are you prepared to take legal action, not only against the state of New Jersey, but now the state of Maine if they decide to enforce this quarantine period?”She responded:
“I’m not talking about New Jersey right now, but if the restrictions placed on me by the state of Maine are not lifted by Thursday morning, I will go to court to fight for my freedom,"
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie defended the decision to mandate Hickox’s quarantine:
“I don’t believe when you’re dealing with something as serious as this that we can count on a voluntary system. This is government’s job. If anything else, the government job is to protect safety and health of our citizens.”
