The state of Maine has made good on a threat to get a court order to restrict the movements of nurse Kaci Hickox after she returned from caring for Ebola patients in West Africa.
Health officials from the state obtained a 24-hour court order "limiting Hickox's travel, banning her from public places and requiring a 3-foot buffer until there's a further decision Friday," The Associated Press. The judge indicated that further action was anticipated later Friday.
Hickox, 33, has been in a high-profile standoff with authorities for days since she returned from Ebola-stricken Sierra Leone over the weekend, repeatedly refusing to isolate herself. Hickox says she has twice tested negative for the potentially deadly virus and has shown no symptoms of the disease.
The AP says: "Police remained outside her home Friday. Fort Kent Police Chief Tom Pelletier went inside the home briefly Friday morning and said afterward, 'We just had a good conversation.' He said he was not there to arrest or detain her."
As we reported on Thursday, Hickox defied Maine's request to stay indoors for the duration of Ebola's 21-day incubation period. She and her boyfriend set out on a bike ride from their rural home.
Shortly afterwards, Gov. Paul LePage said he would use "the full extent" of his authority to force Hickox to comply with a quarantine.
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