Maine nurse Kaci Hickox should definitely be under self-quarantine after her return from West Africa, health policy expert Tevi Troy told
Newsmax TV's J.D. Hayworth and Francesca Page on Friday.
"She absolutely should self-quarantine and she's being really irresponsible and, frankly, obnoxious," Troy said on "America's Forum" Friday. "The government does have quarantine powers and they do need to reserve those powers for a time when it's really necessary. What she's doing is flouting the guidelines that she should be self-quarantining and is putting the government in a difficult situation."
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However, Troy said that from a public health perspective, he does not believe the Ebola crisis is at a rate yet where an enforced government quarantine is necessary.
"We do need to reserve that power and make sure that it's usable," said Tory.
"I also recognize the political situation where something like 80 to 90 percent of Americans think that we should be quarantining these people. So it does make a difficult situation for governors."
Troy said he does applaud Hickox's trip to Africa to care for Ebola patients, but he deplores her behavior since she returned, as "she's been irresponsible and, frankly, just rude."
She should remain inside, self-monitor for 21 days as recommended by what the Centers for Disease Control and Doctors Without Borders recommends, and then she can "go out and
ride her bike all she wants," Troy said.
Troy also has some concerns that the president's "Ebola czar," Ron Klain, has not been seen much in public since his appointment, but noted that as he was appointed for logistical reasons, much of his work may be behind the scenes.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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