US Soldiers Returned From Liberia, Held in Quaratine

Service members deployed in support of Operation United Assistance line up to go through customs Jan. 1, 2015, at an airport outside of Monrovia, Liberia, prior to boarding their flight back to the United States. Troops will go through 21 days of controlled monitoring at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; Joint Base Eustis-Langley, Va.; Fort Hood, Texas; or Fort Bliss, Texas. 
Caitlyn Byrne/U.S. Army 

[From article]
A group of 100 soldiers returning to the States from an Ebola-response mission in West Africa arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on Friday to begin a mandatory quarantine.
[. . .]
The group spent the past two months in Liberia improving roads so that Liberians and visiting aid workers can have better access to new Ebola treatment facilities, said Sgt. 1st Class Justin Puetz of JBLM’s 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command.
The soldiers departed Liberia on Jan. 1.
[. . .]
The quarantine program is separate from the monitoring of JBLM Air Force personnel who have flown short missions to West Africa. These airmen tend to spend less than a day on the ground and don’t interact with Ebola patients. They are asked to watch themselves for symptoms, but they’re not quarantined and can continue to work their military and civilian jobs.

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/100-soldiers-begin-ebola-quarantine-at-lewis-mcchord-1.322186

100 soldiers begin Ebola quarantine at Lewis-McChord
By Adam Ashton
The (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune (TNS)
Published: January 2, 2015

Few American Hospitals Equipped To Isolate Ebola Infections

Dr. Richard Besser, the chief health and medical editor for ABC News

[From article]
"The idea that this could be done by any American hospital that has an isolation room and can be done safely, I was skeptical about that," said Besser, in a clear departure from recent statements by the CDC that any American hospital can safely care for Ebola patients. Besser mentioned the highly specialized biocontainment equipment and advanced training available at at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where Fort Worth doctor Kent Brantly was successfully treated for Ebola exposure, and the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where an NBC photographer is currently getting treatment.
[. . .]
Besser did agree that all American hospitals needed to be prepared to receive patients with Ebola, but that once diagnosed, they should be moved to facilities that were fully equipped and prepared to handle the contagious disease.

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2014/10/12/ABC-Chief-Medical-Expert-CDC-Wrong-All-US-Hospitals-Cant-Treat-Ebola-Safely

ABC CHIEF MEDICAL EXPERT: CDC WRONG, ALL US HOSPITALS CAN'T TREAT EBOLA SAFELY
by SARAH RUMPF
12 Oct 2014

CBS 60 Minutes Correspondent Lara Logan Quarantined After Liberia Ebola Report

[From article]
NEW YORK (AP) - Lara Logan of CBS News is being quarantined in a South Africa hotel for three weeks as a precaution after visiting an American-run hospital treating Ebola patients in Liberia for a "60 Minutes" report that aired Sunday.
CBS said Monday that Logan's 21-day self-quarantine will end this Friday. Neither Logan nor the four other CBS employees in South Africa have shown any sign that they are infected with the virus.
Logan, speaking in a "60 Minutes Overtime" web interview from the room where the CBS crew put its report together, admitted to some cabin fever as she waits out her stay. She said the South African government had given the crew permission to work at the hotel.

http://www.myfoxny.com/story/27345187/cbs-logan-quarantined-after-ebola-report

CBS' Logan quarantined after Ebola report
By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer

No Plan to Treat US Troops In West Africa Who May Get Ill With Ebola

[From article]
First of all, if they need to be protected from Ebola, then they need to be protected. Period. Gloves and masks don’t cut it. Either they’re at risk, or they’re not. Obviously they’re at risk while they’re over there, no matter what their job description. And being at risk, they need full protection.
There is no reason a single service man or woman should become ill. None. If any of them do become sick, it will be from negligent government policies.
And the statement that any service member who becomes ill “will be flown home immediately for treatment” contradicts prior statements put out by the Department of Defense.
[. . .]
So they will not be flown home immediately for treatment. They will remain in Liberia where they will be quarantined and stabilized before being sent to a proper hospital for treatment. Where they will be sent remains up in the air as details are still being worked out, as noted in this exchange from a recent DOD press conference:
[. . .]
So we’re sending troops to West Africa without proper protection and there is no concrete plan in place for getting them the care they will need should they fall ill.
Instead we’ve got confirmation there are “non-governmental organizations” involved and that the military “fell in on a host of folks” (whatever that means) while operating in a “complex environment.” Eventually service men that have been exposed to Ebola will be transferred to medical facilities for treatment – facilities that have not yet been identified. But rest assured the facilities will be “appropriate.”
Right now, however, those in charge are still “coordinating,” “synchronizing,” and “working those pieces.” Stay tuned.
It’s Obama to a tee.

http://americanthinker.com/blog/2014/10/soldiers_headed_to_west_africa_left_hanging_out_to_dry.html

October 20, 2014
Soldiers headed to West Africa left hanging out to dry
By Carol Brown

Australia Suspends Visa Applications From Ebola Hot Zone Countries

[From article]
"These measures include temporarily suspending our immigration programme, including our humanitarian programme from Ebola-affected countries, and this means we are not processing any application from these affected countries."
All non-permanent or temporary visas were being cancelled and permanent visa holders who had not yet arrived in Australia will be required to submit to a 21-day quarantine period, he added.
[. . .]
Health care workers in Queensland state are being asked to enter voluntary quarantine upon returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa, but officials indicated stronger action could be taken.
"If someone doesn’t enter voluntary quarantine and we have a reasonable concern then we will seek a quarantine order from a magistrate," Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/10/28/us-health-ebola-australia-idINKBN0IH05120141028

Australia issues blanket visa ban on Ebola-hit countries
BY MATT SIEGEL
SYDNEY
Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:03am IST

Conflict Between State Laws and US Policy on Quarantines

Tenth Amendment applies to this issue. MA state constitution empowers the Commissioner of Health to take custody of a person who is a threat to public safety.

[From article]
Another possible constitutional objection to such measures, as Josh Blackman points out, is preemption because of a conflict with federal policy. The issue is not that state quarantine rules are tougher than the CDC suggests – federal law explicitly allows states to be tougher in this regard. Rather, it is that the quarantine of health care workers returning from West Africa conflicts with the Obama Administration’s policy of not discouraging them from going to the hot zone, as evidenced by the decision to not bar air traffic from the area.
As it happens, the Supreme Court’s discussions of the permissibility of quarantines has been mostly in the preemption contexts, going back to the landmark dormant commerce clause case, Gibbons v. Ogden in 1824. (A quarantine is by definition a prophylactic measure that applies to those who are not necessarily sick of infected.) The Court has ruled strongly against any kind of implied preemption for quarantines. Rather, it has said that unless the federal government adopts quarantine laws or regulations inconsistent with those of the states, “the laws of the state on the subject are [presumptively] valid.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/10/28/ebola-quarantines-and-state-powers/

Ebola quarantines and state powers
By Eugene Kontorovich
 October 28 at 7:23 AM

Almost All Americans Want Mandatory Quarantine For People Arriving From Ebola Hot Zones

The problem lies with the current director of the CDC. I agree with Trump on this one. 

[From article]
Donald Trump lashed out at the CDC on Fox and Friends Monday morning for its failure to come to a strict decision on what to do with people who come from Ebola-ridden West African countries.
"I don’t think the CDC has any standards, ‘cause as far as they’re concerned, you can come into the country and do whatever you want," Trump said.
[. . .]
According to a Today Show poll located by MRCTV, 94 percent of Americans agree that there should be a mandatory quarantine.
An anonymous senior Obama administration official said the new orders defy science in an interview with The New York Times:

http://www.cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/katherine-rodriguez/trump-rips-cdc-says-it-should-be-ashamed-itself-opposing-strict

Trump Rips CDC, Says It Should Be 'Ashamed of Itself' For Opposing Strict Quarantines
October 27, 2014 - 11:22 AM

By Katherine Rodriguez

Quarantine Restrictions Rasie Concerns of Those Quarantined

Sounds like NJ Gov. Christie is acting responsibly. Here's one more example of a dumbed down population, journalists and political class. Under the MA state constitution the Commissioner of Health can take a person into custody with no due process and isolate the person to protect the public health. That is what Christie is doing in NJ. Don't know what other state constitutions say but this is something that elected officials and voters should know. It is certainly an inconvenience. But it is more of an inconvenience if they spread deadly viruses.

[From article]
The restrictions imposed on health workers returning from Africa exposes a dilemma for authorities who are keen for American experts to help staunch the disease in Africa but mindful of public concerns at home.
[. . .]
The New Jersey department of health said Hickox would remain in isolation for the time being. Speaking on Friday, Christie said the state’s health department had determined a quarantine order should be issued; it was not clear on Saturday if it would be issued in New York, where Hickox was traveling to, or New Jersey, where she is in hospital. Hickox is not from the area, Christie said.
Civil liberties activists raised concerns about the constitutionality of the new rules, warning they could discourage health workers from volunteering to fight Ebola in Africa.
[. . .]
The restrictions imposed by New York, New Jersey and Illinois go beyond recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the agency managing the federal response to Ebola in the US. The CDC said in a statement that it “sets the baseline recommended standards, but state and local officials have the prerogative to tighten the regimen as they see fit”.
[. . .]
The new guidelines will require anyone who flies from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea ­– regardless of whether they are exhibiting symptoms ­– to check in daily with state and local health officials. They will be required to report their temperatures and the any appearance of Ebola-like symptoms, such as severe headaches, fatigue and diarrhoea. They will also be required to consult with health officials if they need, or want, to travel.
If an affected individual fails to check in, the CDC said health officials would take immediate action to track the person down and ensure the proper monitoring is carried out. Concern has been raised over the feasibility of such proposed action.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/25/obama-facts-not-fear-public-response-ebola-usa

Ebola nurse 'made to feel like criminal' on return to US
• Kaci Hickox tests negative but stays in New Jersey isolation
• ACLU raises concerns over ‘abuse of police powers’
• WHO: Ebola cases pass 10,000 mark
• NY and NJ introduce tough new quarantine measures
Lauren Gambino in New York
follow @LGamGam
Follow @GuardianUS
theguardian.com
Saturday 25 October 2014 16.41 EDT

Isolation of Elected Executives

This pattern is not limited to Michael Bloomberg.

[From article]
"It's that he surrounds himself with yes men and women. They don't dare bring him bad news. They know he doesn't want to hear it.
[. . .]
"I regret everything in the world," he snapped at one press conference, secure in his screw-you attitude. He insisted the sanitation commissioner was "the best sanitation commissioner the city has ever had."
[. . .]
Emotionally and mentally, he has checked out. The job is beneath him now."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/emperor_mike_snow_blindness_vfNwvyGxjmsQXkyHW8A7MI

Emperor Mike's snow blindness
Michael Goodwin
New York Post
Last Updated: 9:16 AM, January 2, 2011
Posted: 2:15 AM, January 2, 2011