New York, New York – Nearly 75% of Americans strongly support the Ebola health workers quarantine, while 80% believe the workers’ movements must be controlled, data were based on the Reuters/Ipsos survey.
The poll indicated a strong support for the Ebola health workers quarantine, a current and controversial screening rule announced by the New Jersey and New York governors. The screening rules will be implemented in NY city’s international airports, wherein people arrive from the Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa. To date, the virus has killed almost 5,000 people.
State health officials, under the new rules have ordered anyone who had direct contact with Ebola-infected patients to go through a mandatory quarantine within 21 days. In some cases, there might be at-home quarantine, despite of showing no symptoms. This will be a sort of an urgent care near me facility among the health workers as they will not be allowed to access public health facilities or urgent care clinics.
A quarter of the survey believes that quarantine is necessary for the health care workers. One in every six respondents also believes that workers should not monitor themselves or should not be actively monitored by health officials.
The survey was conducted online with 1,681 participants covering the period of October 30 until November 3. The poll did not inquire whether the Ebola health workers quarantine should be voluntary or mandatory. Thus, the survey specifically asked whether the workers returning from the said countries should have their movements controlled.
The administration of President Barack Obama, along with other health experts have objected and criticized the mandatory quarantines, pointing out that such procedures are unhelpful because an individual without symptoms is incapable of spreading the virus.
Kaci Hickox, an American nurse has been the only person known to have abided by the new quarantine state rules. She arrived right after the quarantine announcement on October 24. Hickox has been providing urgent care and working with the ‘Doctors Without Borders’. She helped patients in Sierra Leone. She was restrained in a tent at a local urgent care clinic. For several days, she repeatedly criticized her imprisonment. A judge ruling decided that her quarantine was unnecessary and was free to travel, while self-monitoring her health.
Because of the issue on Ebola health workers quarantine, many of the American medics delay their return to the US soils after working in Ebola-stricken countries; thus, they stay in Europe for at least 21 days, the Ebola virus’s maximum incubation period.
