A nurse who was placed under mandatory quarantine in New Jersey last Friday after returning from treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone says her human rights are being violated, according to CNN.
Kaci Hickox is currently facing a 21-day quarantine at University Hospital in Newark as part of Governor Chris Christie and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's new restrictions on travelers arriving from West Africa who came in contact with Ebola patients.
Both governors say the mandatory quarantines are necessary to prevent the chance of the virus spreading in the metropolitan area, a policy sparked by the diagnosis of New York City's first Ebola case in a doctor who arrived from Guinea.
But Hickox, who says she is being isolated inside a tent without a shower and working toilet, is furious at Christie for what she says is a "knee-jerk reaction by politicians" to the virus.
"This is an extreme that is really unacceptable, and I feel like my basic human rights have been violated," the epidemiologist told CNN. "To put me through this emotional and physical stress is completely unacceptable."
Hickox also said she doesn't have a TV or any other form of entertainment. She wasn't even allowed to bring her luggage. She just sits and stares at the wall, she told CNN. Doctors speak to her through a piece of clear plastic, or "window," through the tent.
The nurse was tested twice for Ebola and both times the results came back negative. Even doctors say there is no medical reason to keep her isolated, the nurse's lawyers told CNN. But being suddenly cut off from the world without having the virus is taking its emotional toll.
"Everyone keeps asking how I'm feeling physically and of course I'm fine physically, but I don't think most people understand what it's like to be alone in a tent and decisions are being made that don't make sense and show no compassion," a crying Hickox told CNN.
University Hospital, however, said they are doing their best to make her happy, saying that she has "computer access, use of her cell phone, reading material (magazines, newspaper) and requested and has received take-out food and drink," according to the station.
'While we understand that the required quarantine is an inconvenience, it is our primary goal to make sure the patient is as comfortable as possible," hospital spokeswoman Stacie Newton told CNN. "We have given our prompt attention to provide the patient with basic needs and to accommodate additional requests made by the patient."
Lawyers for Hickox say they will file court documents challenging her quarantine within the next few days.
