Virginia's New Ebola Policy Leaves Door Open to Quarantines

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that starting today, Monday, Oct. 27, the Virginia Department of Health will actively monitor the health of all travelers arriving from the countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, which are battling an unprecedented Ebola outbreak.

This effort will build on extensive outreach and monitoring already underway by the state health department and the local health districts, according to the governor’s office. The announcement Monday comes on the heels of some criticism of traveler quarantine policies related to ebola in New York and New Jersey.

The virus in west Africa has killed nearly 5,000 people. Fears in the United States about the spread of the virus have increased dramatically since the death of a man in Texas and the infection of care workers.

“Today the Commonwealth of Virginia will begin to actively monitor incoming travelers from countries battling the Ebola outbreak so that public health officials can respond quickly in the event of an Ebola case in our state,” he said in a news release. “This plan will strengthen our ability to protect Virginians from Ebola, and increase our readiness to respond promptly in the event that we have a case of the disease in our state. “

Under the plan, screeners at the airports of entry will continue to provide the names and contact information for all travelers from the affected countries with destinations in Virginia. Now, however, the Virginia Department of Health will work through their local health districts to make contact with these travelers and provide them with specific guidance, information, and telephone numbers for 24/7 assistance. All travelers will be asked to take and record their temperature at least twice per day.

Local health districts will coordinate daily contact with the travelers during the 21 days when there is a low risk of infection. Should a traveler need medical attention, advance direction will be given to the emergency management system for transport, and to the local hospital receiving the traveler for evaluation. Virginia’s public health laboratory is available 24 hours a day for Ebola testing.

Should a traveler develop any concerning symptoms, but an initial medical evaluation is negative, the traveler may be asked to remain at home for the remainder of the 21 days with close monitoring.

The policy includes specific provisions for health care workers who are returning from caring for Ebola patients. All health care workers will sign agreements for restrictions in activity, recognizing that the state will check on compliance and reserves the right to issue a quarantine order if needed. These restrictions are based on the best scientific evidence about transmission of the virus, and will be tailored to the known risks for each health care worker. Specifically:

• Those health care workers with known breaches of protective protocol will be required to stay at home for the 21-day period.

• Other health care workers will be evaluated on a case by case basis and may be restricted from public transportation, mass gatherings, and clinical care.

“This thoughtful and evidence-based process will protect our citizens in a manner consistent with our current laws and the current threat,” said Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. William Hazel.