Mandatory Ebola quarantine criticized

Doctors Without Borders, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology disagree with the states' actions


Mandatory healthcare worker quarantines in three states and stricter monitoring in a fourth (Florida) following the Ebola diagnosis of an N.Y.C. doctor is sparking criticism, according to an article on the Modern Healthcare website.

Doctors Without Borders, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology disagree with the states' actions.

The New York and New Jersey governors announced Friday that their states would require mandatory quarantines of all individuals returning from Guinea, Sierra Leone or Liberia who had medically treated or come into direct contact with individuals with Ebola. The governor of Illinois followed suit.

“Coercive measures like mandatory quarantine of people exhibiting no symptoms of Ebola and when not medically necessary raise serious constitutional concerns about the state abusing its powers,” said Udi Offer, executive director of the New Jersey Chapter of the ACLU, 

The mandatory quarantine order could frighten the public and deter sick individuals from seeking treatment out of fear of quarantine, Offer said.

The federal government has been pressuring New York and New Jersey to overturn their quarantine orders. Federal officials said total quarantines for healthcare workers are unnecessary and ineffective.

Read the article.

 

 



October 28, 2014


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

How Health Systems Are Rethinking Facilities Amid Margin Pressure

As insurance uncertainty and consolidation reshape healthcare, facilities managers are turning to efficiency, adaptability and portfolio optimization to control costs.


Ground Broken on New Medical Office Building in Scottsdale, AZ

Hammes is developing a new 34,000-square-foot medical office building in Scottsdale, Arizona, in partnership with Phoenix-based NOVO Development.


University of Texas Gifted $100M for New Medical Center

The new UT medical center integrates the work of the University’s academic and research enterprise, its Dell Medical School and UT MD Anderson cancer care.


Beyond Backup Generators: Building Layered Energy Resilience

Backup generators still matter, but they are just one piece of a larger puzzle.


Shannon Health System to Acquire Scenic Mountain Medical Center

The signing of the asset purchase agreement begins the asset purchase closing process, which is expected to be completed in the coming months.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.