A judge in Maine issued a 24-hour order yesterday restraining the movement of Doctors Without Borders nurse Kaci Hickox—but the order only requires that she follow guidelines that for the most part match the recommendations that the CDC has already issued for individuals who have had Ebola exposure but do not show signs of the disease. From the Portland Press-Herald:
The state’s petition, filed Thursday, asks the court to require Hickox to: submit to monitoring, coordinate all her travel with public health officials, not be present in any public places, maintain a 3-foot buffer from others while engaging in outdoor public activities such as jogging or biking and not leave Fort Kent.
And from the CDC’s Ebola guidelines for “asymptomatic individuals in the high risk category”:
The individual should be ensured, through public health orders as necessary, to undergo direct active monitoring, have restricted movement within the community, and not travel on any public conveyances. Non-congregate public activities while maintaining a 3-foot distance from others may be permitted. These individuals are subject to controlled movement which will be enforced by federal public health travel restrictions; travel, if allowed, should occur only by noncommercial conveyances, with coordination by origin and destination states to ensure a coordinated hand-off of public health orders, if issued, and uninterrupted direct active monitoring.
Hickox reportedly agreed to abide by the ruling until this morning; a “further decision” on her status is expected later today.
