Ebola: Quarantine for doctors to be reimbursed

The governor of the state of New York Andrew Cuomo and New York City’s mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new program on Thursday for doctors and nurses returning from Ebola-affected countries in West Africa that “would be modeled on benefits and rights provided to military reservists” who have been fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to reimbursing health workers and their employers for any quarantines required when the medical staff returns to New York, both the city and the state would make sure that workers “have their pay, health care and employment statuses continue seamlessly when they get back.”`

Cuomo said that doctors like Craig Spencer – a 33 year old physician who was diagnosed with Ebola in New York after contracting the disease while helping fight the outbreak in Guinea – are heroes and that “we must do more to encourage additional health care professionals to join this critical fight, and the partnership unveiled today will be instrumental in growing the ranks of these valiant doctors and nurses.” Cuomo has been doing some damage control after being criticized by the White House and health experts for enforcing – together with New Jersey counterpart Chris Christie – mandatory 21-dat quarantines for doctors and nurses coming back from the Ebola-hit region.

The first subject – or victim – of Christie’s and Cuomo’s guidelines was Maine nurse Kaci Hickox, who has been very critical of the way she was treated after arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport, especially since she claims she has had no symptoms and tested negative for the Ebola virus. When asked if Cuomo’s latest initiative was a bid to divert criticism, Di Blasio said “I think it’s something we need to do. Gov. Cuomo and I discussed it and believe equally it’s something that this city and this state can contribute to ending the crisis.”

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New York doctors who help in Ebola fight will be given quarantine reimbursement, ensured employment status.

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