Florida health officials are pushing back at quarantine guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius exposed to the deadly Andes hantavirus.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.One American who was on the cruise ship says she’s stuck in the middle and unable to leave federal quarantine.
“I’m being held hostage in this power struggle between a state and the federal government,” said Angela Perryman, 47, who has been at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit since May 11.“I don’t think there has been a day since I’ve been here that I didn’t cry,” she said.Perryman said that health officials previously told passengers that they would be able to leave federal quarantine by the end of May and spend the rest of their 42-day quarantine under home supervision.
The first five went home June 1.Like all Americans aboard the cruise ship, Perryman has tested negative for the Andes virus.Angela Perryman, seen here on an excursion from the MV Hondius, said she hasn't been able to go a day without crying since she disembarked.Courtesy Angela PerrymanStates were required by the CDC to station law enforcement or public health employees outside the homes of quarantined passengers for surveillance.
It was up to state health departments to figure out how to accomplish that for passengers who chose to go home.Florida health officials, it appears, have a different approach.
“At this time, neither the state of Florida nor the Department is planning to implement round-the-clock surveillance measures,” Brian Wright, a spokesman for the Florida Health Department, said in an email.“The state does not believe unnecessarily intrusive restrictions are warranted when established public health practices can effectively protect both public health and personal freedom.”The agency, which didn’t provide an offi...