Maine judge rejects Ebola quarantine for nurse Kaci Hickox
Kaci Hickox is speaking out after a judge in Maine rejects the state's call for a mandatory home quarantine for the nurse who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone.
Hickox is now free to go to stores, restaurants, movie theaters, wherever she chooses. But she isn't totally in the clear.
Alexandra Field has the latest.
Nurse Kaci Hickox's neighbor: It's common sense, stick to the quarantine
Negotiations between the state of Maine and nurse Kaci Hickox over the limits of her quarantine ended today with no resolution. The disagreement was over the guidelines on how and when she could leave her house, while staying away from public places.
Early Thursday morning, Hickox and her boyfriend left their Fort Kent home for a bicycle ride around town, followed by state police.
Police were not authorized to arrest her, the governor saying they were there for her protection and to monitor any interactions with the public.
But Gov. Paul LePage said he would use "the full extent of his authority" to protect public safety.
James Majka lives down the street from Hickox in Fort Kent, Maine, a small town with a population just above 4,000. In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Majka says Hickox should have remained in quarantine.
Nurse Kaci Hickox vs. the State of Maine: They have no "justification" for quarantine
Kaci Hickox, the nurse forcibly quarantined in New Jersey after returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa is back in Maine where now she refuses to quarantine herself at home.
Maine officials want Hickox to stay at home until she passes the 21-day mark from the last time she was in contact with Ebola patients.
State of Maine, nurse who went to Africa at odds over Ebola quarantine
Hickox says she has twice tested negative for Ebola and feels it's reasonable for her to self-monitor but there's no need to stay home in quarantine.
"I don't plan on sticking to the guidelines," Hickox said on the "Today Show." "I remain appalled by these home quarantine policies that have been forced on me."
Hickox is going even further by hiring a high-profile attorney who has told officials they have till Thursday to change their position. If they try to force his client to comply, he says they'll take them to court.
Ebola survivor: Mandatory quarantines a 'disincentive' for Ebola volunteers
A battle of words broke out over the weekend between Kaci Hickox, who returned home from Ebola-ravaged West Africa only to be ordered into quarantine, and Republican governor Chris Christie. The nurse told CNN that her "basic human rights have been violated" and that Christie himself was responsible.
CDC officials stopped short of issuing nationwide quarantine rules, instead issuing new guidelines that set levels of risk for returning travelers - guidelines to help those states that are currently monitoring travel from West Africa.
But, should health care workers coming from West Africa be quarantined?
In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Dr. Rick Sacra says a mandatory quarantine would be a 'disincentive' for people to travel to West Africa to treat Ebola patients.
Chris Christie not sorry, frees nurse from Ebola quarantine
The nurse in the middle of a national firestorm over Ebola quarantine rules is Ebola-free and left New Jersey for her home in Maine.
But Kaci Hickox was forced into quarantine by New Jersey governor Chris Christie after she returned from treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone is not going home quietly. She's threatening to sue Christie and says he knows nothing about medicine.
Christie is not backing down and says he's not sorry.
"She needs to understand that the obligation of elected officials is to protect the public health of all the people and if that inconvenienced her for a period of time, that's what we need to do to protect the public," Christie says.
CNN's Miguel Marquez has more OutFront.
