Fort Kent, Maine –The fear of Ebola has state officials trying to obtain a court order to require the quarantine of Maine Nurse Kaci Hickox now that she’s back in her hometown.
Maine nurse Kaci Hickox and her boyfriend go riding on a bike, taking a pizza delivery and watching a movie while the state officials are worried and struggling to reach a compromise with the clash between the issue of individual freedom and the fear of Ebola.
Hickox is one of the nurses who worked for urgent care treating the Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. She and her boyfriend defied quarantine by riding on their bikes but went away from the town in order to avoid having a close contact with other people.
Her boyfriend Ted Wilbur told the media on Thursday night that they’re not trying to push any limits because they are also members of the community and they just want to make their folks comfortable.
The Maine nurse returned last week to the U.S. from an urgent care clinic in Sierra Leone and has been under what the state refers to as voluntary quarantine. She stays at her home town of 4,300 residents. She has protested against the state officials restrictions saying that she’s facing a violation of human rights when she says that she’s not a threat to other people because there are no indications that would make the fear of Ebola valid.
Hickox has tested negative for Ebola last week in an urgent care treatment center although it can take a number of days before the virus reaches noticeable levels.
Even with the tests that the nurse have gone through, the state officials still say that they are trying to find a court order that would require the nurse to be put on a quarantine until the 10th of November which would be the nurse’s 21st day back home. Until Friday though, it was not yet clear whether or not the state would go to court or whether there’s been any progress in negotiations made to reach a compromise.
In case the state officials are able to get a court order for the quarantine or confinement of Kaci Hickox, the nurse said that she’s ready to fight against it.
Governor Paul LePage stated that there’s been negotiations between the Hickox’s lawyers and the state attorneys regarding the scale-down quarantine talks in an urgent care near me wherein the nurse would still be allowed to go out for walks and go on bicycle riding without her venturing into areas with heavy population and not come more than 3 feet closer to other people.
Maine law allows the quarantine of someone who’s considered to be an immediate public health threat as found by health officials. The fear of Ebola hitting the country made President Obama discourage the volunteering in urgent care clinics in West Africa where the virus have killed thousands of people already.
