It’s not what quarantine looks like here in the U.S., but it’s the best they can do in parts of Africa: Ebola camps where they try to cordon off the infected with plastic sheets strung up in shelters. The infected are gathered up, taken to the camp, and treated… whether they want it or not. Something we’d never do in America, right?
Some officials are saying it’s not necessary to isolate someone just because they’ve been in Ebola-stricken countries. In fact, a nurse who was recently quarantined in New Jersey is calling it inhumane. She’s even threatened a lawsuit. Kacie Hickox had a fever during an airport screening, but no other symptoms. Still, that was enough to get her put in isolation. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie believes she’ll eventually understand why he allowed it. Although she has been talking “lawsuit”, and the feds are saying states have been taking quarantine preps too far.
But guess who the feds don’t have any problem putting into quarantine without proof of symptoms: our soldiers. If they’ve been to Liberia, our troops are being held in isolation in Italy. Simple as that. Right now, it’s only 11 soldiers, but if the policy stays, several hundred soldiers will get 21 days of “enhanced monitoring”. Which is government-speak for “mandatory quarantine”.
The thing is: how do you trust somebody to do the right thing when it comes to quarantine? Remember NBC’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman? First it was “voluntary”, but then she went out on a food run, after which authorities made it a mandatory situation. And it’s worth noting that she did not display any Ebola symptoms, and in fact was cleared of any threat last week.
But at what point do you stop leaving things to chance with something as deadly as Ebola? Our Man on the Edge, Robert Wilder, hit the streets to find out…
