Chris Christie and Ebola quarantines Virgin Galactic

Mandatory Quarantine

The effectiveness of quarantines in New York and New Jersey are being questioned because of recent restrictions.

BY CHLOE BARRETT REPORTER

As the threat of an American Ebola outbreak looms overhead, American leaders are in a quandary over what measures should be taken to curtail the fear that has been building up.

Among the initiatives taken to protect the public from the spread of Ebola is a mandatory quarantine. New York and New Jersey are at the front of the controversy surrounding this step.

New York and New Jersey governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie announced a law mandating a quarantine for health workers arriving in JFK International or Newark Liberty International airports from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone and who had contact with Ebola.

The first healthcare worker to be put under this law was Kaci Hickox, a nurse who returned from treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. After arriving in Newark airport in New Jersey, she was measured to have a 103 degree fever and was put into isolation in University Hospital in Newark. She tested negative for Ebola but was still required to complete the mandatory 21 days of isolation. Hickox has spoken out against her treatment and plans to file a civil lawsuit.

However, forced quarantines are legal under BY MADISON HEIDE SPORTS EDITOR

Wreckage from SpaceshipTwo was found scattered across the Mojave Desert. Some debris was 35 miles away from the main crash site (Photo by MCT Campus).

Traveling 761 miles per hour, head flattened against the seat, the jet slowly begins to accelerate and the spaceship heads toward space. But the recreational space flight that was supposed to the Public Health Service Act, which gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services the right to take measures to prevent and control the spread of communicable, or infectious diseases such as Ebola. This authority has been delegated to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is allowed to apprehend, detain and examine anyone arriving to the United States or traveling between states if they are suspected of a communicable disease.

The measure to enforce quarantines for those in contact with Ebola has not been endorsed by the CDC. According to the Wall Street Journal, the CDC is calling for voluntary quarantines only.

But New Jersey governor Chris Christie said in the Washington Times that he does not regret his decision. He said it’s his job to protect all of the public, not a single person.

The effectiveness of a mandatory quarantine has been questioned because its loopholes make it easy to get around. Healthcare workers have to identify themselves as having been in contact with Ebola and only have to be quarantined if they go through JFK or Newark airports, making it easy to slip through the cracks to avoid an unwarranted quarantine if a healthcare worker knew it was unnecessary.

In addition, the forced quarantines have been accused of being a political ploy by both governors to gain support from a panicked public. Both Christie and Cuomo had elections coming up and a mandatory quarantine law could secure votes from 4Finals

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Virgin Galactic Test Flight Fails

The commercial spacecraft crashed immediately after test launch, resulting in the death of co-pilot Michael Alsbury.

people who want to feel safe from the disease. ferry wealthy tourists into suborbital space crashed during a test run in the Mojave Desert. The 39-yearold co-pilot Michael Alsbury died in the crash.

While Alsbury was killed in the accident, Peter Siebold, the pilot, miraculously survived the 10 mile drop to earth while unconscious, sustaining an injured shoulder and other minor injuries. When interviewed by the Daily Mail, Siebold understood how lucky he was to survive the horrific crash, considering the extremely low temperature, lack of oxygen and powerful amounts of air pressure at such a high altitude. It was also by chance that he was thrown from the aircraft and that the parachute deployed on its own.

The company is having difficulty figuring out what caused the explosion. Initially, it was thought to have been a fuel problem because this was the first time a new type of plastic-based fuel was used. And although it may be up to a year until the cause of the crash is officially determined, some of the recent findings seem to indicate pilot malfunction.

Recent investigations found no evidence of engine failure, fire or explosion, but instead discovered that the late Alsbury may have performed the braking maneuver too soon resulting in the crash that led to his death. The braking action, if done too early, can cause the rocket to breakup. It is supposed to be deployed when the plane enters the atmosphere but was deployed much earlier, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Despite the recent understandings of pilot error, the crash has created a minor setback for the company, who had hoped to begin flights as early as next year. Many prospective passengers had already signed up for the tours, which at the time were ranging in price from $100,000 to $200,000. Now some passengers are demanding their money back.

But Virgin Galactic is not letting this tragedy stop them from moving forward. Plans to build a new SpaceShipTwo are already in place, and although this may have pushed back the takeoff date, their main priority is ensuring safety for future flights.

George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic wrote a statement following the death of Alsbury, saying, “The future rests in many ways on hard days like this, but we believe we owe it to the team, that has been working so hard on this endeavour, to understand this and to move forward.”

5LE JOURNAL ISSUE 3