Pentagon: Troops required to undergo 21-day Ebola quarantine

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Ordering firm restrictions for U.S. troops returning from West Africa, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday that the military men and women helping fight Ebola must undergo 21-day quarantines — longer than required for many civilian health care workers.

In Maine, meanwhile, a civilian nurse was vigorously resisting the quarantine she was told to undergo. Kaci Hickox, who had treated Ebola patients in West Africa, said she planned to stop quarantining herself in her home, signaling a potential showdown today with state police monitoring her movements and Maine officials preparing to legally enforce the order.

President Barack Obama, meeting with health care workers at the White House, acknowledged that the United States was not invulnerable to the disease but cautioned against discouraging civilian volunteers with overly restrictive measures upon their return home. “We can’t hermetically seal ourselves off,” he declared.

There seemed to be good news from the region of most-severe outbreaks. The World Health Organization said the rate of new Ebola infections in Liberia appeared to be declining. It cautioned that the epidemic there was far from over.

Nearly 5,000 people have died and more than 13,700 have been sickened in the outbreak, which has hit Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone hardest. More than 6,300 of those are in Liberia alone. The U.S. military has nearly 1,000 troops in Liberia and just over 100 in Senegal supporting efforts to combat the virus. The total could grow to 3,900 under current plans, although none are intended to be in contact with Ebola patients.

Announcing his decision in Washington, Hagel said, “This is also a policy that was discussed in great detail by the communities, by the families of our military men and women, and they very much wanted a safety valve on this.”

The action goes beyond precautions recommended by the Obama administration for civilians, although Obama has said he feels the military’s situation is different.

After meeting with his Ebola advisory team and with health care workers who have been to West Africa or are preparing to go there, Obama cautioned against discouraging health care workers with restrictive measures that confine them upon their return.

Homecoming treatment was a big issue in Maine. Nurse Kaci Hickox told NBC’s “Today” show and ABC’s “Good Morning America” that she was abiding by the state’s voluntary quarantine by having no contact with people Tuesday and Wednesday but would defy the state if the policy wasn’t changed today.

Her lawyer told The Associated Press that Hickox, who’s shown no symptoms of Ebola, isn’t willing to cooperate further unless the state lifts “all or most of the restrictions.” The governor said Wednesday he was seeking legal authority to keep her in isolation.

Hagel’s restrictive policy for U.S. troops was a response to a recommendation sent to him Tuesday by Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on behalf of the heads of each of the military services.