State Announces 21-Day Quarantine For Anyone At Risk Of Ebola; To Be Determined On Case-By-Case Basis
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) -- California is requiring a 21-day quarantine for people traveling from Ebola-stricken areas who have had contact with infected patients.
Dr. Ron Chapman, the state's health officer, announced Wednesday that California is establishing a statewide standard to protect the public. Chapman says the extent of quarantines will be determined by county health officials on a case-by-case basis.
Chapman says a number of the state's health care workers have volunteered to help combat the epidemic in West Africa. Officials have not said how many people, if any, have been quarantined.
There are no reported or confirmed cases of Ebola in California.
California is imposing the risked-based quarantines after the governors of New Jersey and New York were criticized for ordering mandatory quarantines.
The quarantine concept has been controversial in those states and is being challenged by a nurse from Maine who says there's no reason to keep her locked away, after she came home from treating ebola patients in West Africa.
The Pentagon says troops returning from Ebola missions will be isolated.
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