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Kaci Hickox: Judge Rules In Favor Of Nurse Over Quarantine Lawsuit

Kaci Hickox, the nurse who made the news after a very public battle with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Maine Governor Paul LePage over Ebola quarantine laws, has reached a settlement with the...
Kaci Hickox: Judge Rules In Favor Of Nurse Over Quarantine Lawsuit
Written by Val Powell
  • Kaci Hickox, the nurse who made the news after a very public battle with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Maine Governor Paul LePage over Ebola quarantine laws, has reached a settlement with the Maine government that allows her to travel freely as long as she monitors her health closely.

    The Maine judge in charge of the case sided with Hickox and ruled that because she has exhibited no symptoms and is not contagious, she should not be isolated and her movements should not be restricted. In his ruling, the judge also slammed “misconceptions, misinformation, bad science and bad information” that has been circulated to the public regarding the disease.

    Hickox’s troubles began when she returned to the United States last month after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. She was placed under mandatory quarantine after showing signs of elevated temperature. The mandatory quarantine was an effect of Gov. Christie’s new policy that anyone showing symptoms of Ebola, including high temperature, should be isolated despite the fact that the disease is not airborne.

    In an interview with CNN, Kaci Hickox said, “We know that Ebola is not transmitted as easily as many other diseases and that self-monitoring and even an enhanced version, which is what most states in the US are going to now, this will work”.

    Kaci Hickox’s legal battle happened after transferring back to her hometown of Maine where Gov. Paul Lepage tried to keep her quarantined for the duration of the disease’s 21-day incubation period.

    The nurse fought back against the unnecessary quarantine that was imposed on health workers, and said in the interview that “the biggest reason that I fought is because I, you know, felt so much fear and confusion, and I imagined what my fellow aid workers were going to feel if they came back to this same situation.”

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