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From Maine to California, citizens and states struggle with Ebola quarantine policies

California seeks middle ground between president and governors, as Maine and New Jersey gear up for potential lawsuits with Kaci Hickox.

By Matt Bradwell
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with Ebola survivor Dr. Kent Brantly (L) after Brantly introduced the president during an event in the East Room of the White House on October 29, 2014. Obama called doctors and nurses who go to Africa to stop the disease at its source "American Heroes." UPI/Pat Benic
1 of 3 | U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with Ebola survivor Dr. Kent Brantly (L) after Brantly introduced the president during an event in the East Room of the White House on October 29, 2014. Obama called doctors and nurses who go to Africa to stop the disease at its source "American Heroes." UPI/Pat Benic | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- As President Barack Obama continues to encourage the public to embrace healthcare workers returning from West Africa, the state of California has followed New York and New Jersey in instituting mandatory quarantines for those returning from fighting against Ebola.

"We need to call them what they are, which is American heroes," Obama told reporters from the White House East Room.

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"They deserve our gratitude and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect."

California's quarantine protocol seeks to establish a middle ground between Obama's hugs and handshakes and the policy that placed healthcare worker Kaci Hickox in both a legal and public relations battle with Maine and New Jersey.

"In order to protect or preserve the public health, this order requires quarantine for individuals at risk of contracting and spreading Ebola and establishes statewide protocol to assess the risk of these travelers arriving in California in order to develop tailored quarantine orders based on the level of risk presented by each case," the California health department explained in a statement.

Hickox, who defiantly went on a bike ride Thursday, despite the presence of state troopers at her boyfriend's home in Maine, may find herself in court for refusing to comply with quarantine guidelines.

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A Stanford doctor quarantined under California's new policy would have been allowed on the bike ride, as limited activities such as exorcise are permitted, provided he remains alone.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie continued to paint Hickox as entitled and self-centered for not simply staying in Newark, describing the quarantine facility she compared to prison as a modern room with the comforts and amenities.

"She was inside the hospital in a climate-controlled area with access to her cell phone, access to the internet, and takeout food from the best restaurants in Newark. She was doing just fine."

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