A Facebook group has emerged to oppose Ebola nurse Kaci Hickox’s return to Maine, where she plans to defy the state’s expectation that she quarantine herself for 21 days.
Hickox, 33, treated Ebola patients in Africa with the group Doctors Without Borders. After being briefly quarantined in a Newark tent by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Hickox retained the services of White House-visiting civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel and secured her release from quarantine with the help of White House pressure on Christie.
As The Daily Caller reported, Hickox works for the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer. (RELATED: Released Ebola Nurse Works For CDC).
Hickox’s LinkedIn page identifying her as a CDC employee was deleted over the weekend as national controversy swirled around the ethics of her quarantine. Hickox claimed that “I feel like my basic human rights have been violated” by Christie’s mandatory quarantine. After a CDC evaluation, she was cleared to return to her boyfriend’s home in Fort Kent, Maine.
Hickox lawyer Steven Hyman said that “She doesn’t want to agree to continue to be confined to a residence beyond the two days” in Maine. Hickox had not yet arrived in Maine by Tuesday evening. Maine health officials said Tuesday that they reserve the right to obtain a court order to quarantine the nurse for 21 days.
Some Mainers are having none of it.
The Facebook group “Mainers against Kaci Hickox returning home to Fort Kent Maine” was created Monday and gained 819 likes as of press time.
In response to some comments criticizing the group and supporting Hickox’s desire to not be quarantined, the proprietor of the group made clear
“I do think Kaci should be able to come home,” the proprietor clarified. “Im not saying lets kick her out of maine. All i want and everyone else wants is for her to b quarantined in a hospital or some wheres other than her home in Fort Kent. and watched. and monitored more than once every two days. I do not feel comfortable that we have to trust her to stay in her house for the next 18 days. I dont believe she can do that.”
“She is against being quarantined,” the proprietor continued. “why would she wants to stay in her home? I understand that we dont know much of ANYTHING about ebola. either way its scary and i dont want it nor do i want my fellow Mainers to get it. Its a short 18 days. thats it.”
Most of the page’s comments strongly supported the group’s aims and called for Hickox to be quarantined.
“This drama queen should return to ebolaville and spare us all her antics.she is a disgrace to nursing,” wrote Facebook user Clyde Boyd.
“why would someone who gave so much to help people not want to stay quarantined to save other people. Maybe she just wanted attention or maybe she thought she could win a lawsuit against the government. People’s motivations are sometimes a mystery. I hope when she is cleared she will make statements that explain this,” said Myrna R. Payne.
“Did you stay in a 5 star hotel in Africa, Kaci? Go expose yourself to Ebola all you want, then STAY there!,” wrote Linda Trousdale.
“She volunteered to go to a filthy, dirty, disease ridden country and she thinks a tent in NJ is a cruel punishment? Something wrong with this, something wrong with her too. The whole thing sounds like a set up. Keep her in the tent,” wrote Lori Lee.