NIH Director Warns of Unintended Consequences from Mandatory Quarantines in New York, New Jersey
Melissa Quinn /
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced mandatory quarantines for health workers returning from West Africa. However, such a policy could have negative, unintended consequences, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned today.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Fauci said that “as a scientist and as a health person,” he wouldn’t have recommended the mandatory quarantines and said it’s unlikely the federal government would be changing its policies about dealing with Ebola patients.
The governors’ announcement came just one day after a physician with Doctors Without Borders was diagnosed with Ebola in New York City. He is being treated at Bellevue Hospital Center.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn followed Christie and Cuomo’s lead and announced a mandatory quarantine in his state.