Minnesota Begins Ebola Monitoring and Restrictions

The Ebola monitoring program announced today by the Minnesota Department of Health includes a 21 day, in home, quarantine for health care workers who treated Ebola patients in West Africa and have a known exposure to the virus.

Most travelers arriving in the state from the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola outbreak will simply be monitored for 21 days, with twice daily phone checkups by nurses and epidemiologists. Everyone arriving from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea will not be allowed to use public transit for trips lasting longer than three hours, while anyone with a known exposure to Ebola will be prohibited from using public transportation or attending any mass gatherings during the 21 day period.

The plan also states that any situation involving children or adults working with children will be evaluated on a case-to- case basis. The State Health Department estimates about 10 people arrive in Minnesota each week from West Africa.

The details of the monitoring plan were announced Monday after Gov. Mark Dayton met with various state officials, along with experts in medicine, ethics, and law on Sunday.

“My number one priority is to do whatever will best protect all Minnesotans from exposure to this disease. We believe the framework we are announcing today provides the most effective, science-based approach we can take to carefully monitor individuals and protect the public while ensuring the rights of citizens are not abused,” Gov. Dayton said. 

Minnesota is among six states now implementing the new Ebola monitoring initiatives, but the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to expand the monitoring programs to all 50 states in the near future.

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