California Issues Quarantine Policy for Individuals at Risk for Ebola
On Wednesday, California Department of Public Health Director Ron Chapman issued a state policy requiring a 21-day quarantine for travelers who have come in contact with someone diagnosed with Ebola, Time reports.
The policy requires local health officials to assess individuals on a case-by-case basis and determine an "appropriate level of quarantine." DPH said that quarantines often "involve isolation at home" but that such isolation could "be tailored to allow for greater movement of individuals who are deemed to be at lower risk" (Sifferlin, Time, 10/29).
The guidelines apply to individuals who arrive in California after traveling to an Ebola-affected area, such as Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone (Morin/Flores, Los Angeles Times, 10/29).
Chapman said there currently are no reported or confirmed cases of the disease in California. The new policy is part of an effort to "help prevent any potential spread of the disease in the state," he said (Rauber [1], "Bay Area BizTalk," San Francisco Business Times, 10/29).
Stanford Hospital Physician, Orange County Residents Monitored for Ebola
Colin Bucks, an emergency department physician at Stanford Hospital, also is being monitored for Ebola symptoms after returning last week from treating patients in Liberia. Bucks returned from Africa before the state's quarantine policy went into effect.
San Mateo County public health officials said they are coordinating with CDC, DPH and San Francisco International Airport, where Bucks arrived from Africa.
Stanford spokesperson Lisa Kim said Bucks has been following CDC and public health guidelines since his return, including not going to work and reporting his temperature to officials twice daily (Rauber [2], "Bay Area BizTalk," San Francisco Business Times, 10/29).
Meanwhile, Orange County officials said they are monitoring for Ebola symptoms two residents who recently visited West Africa (Bharath, Orange County Register, 10/29).
Broadcast Coverage
Headlines and links to broadcast coverage of the Ebola quarantine are provided below.
- "State Issues 'Tailored' Quarantine Guidelines for Travelers From Ebola-Affected Countries" (Aliferis, "State of Health," KQED, 10/29).
- "California Orders Risk-Based Ebola Quarantine" (Lin/Plevin, AP/KPCC, 10/29).