Andrew Cuomo seems to have gotten nervous about the bad press his neighbor Christie is getting for holding a healthy nurse prisoner and decided that the political wind might be blowing in the direction of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Under Pressure, Cuomo Loosens Policy for Ebola Quarantines in 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 revise 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
Mayor De Blasio has come down squarely in support of returning health care workers.
Under the revised guidelines, New York State would allow all returning health care workers who have had contact with Ebola patients but have no symptoms of illness to return to their homes, where they would be confined; their health would be monitored for 21 days.
We will see if Kaci Hickox now gets let out of the prison tent and allowed some basic comfort and human dignity.