Federal Quarantine Imposed on Cruise Passenger Despite Expert's Clearance

Angela Perryman, a passenger aboard the MV Hondius cruise, has been ordered to remain in federal quarantine by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite being cleared to return home by a federal health expert.

Perryman is among 18 U.S. passengers who were placed under medical monitoring at the National Quarantine Unit at Nebraska Medical Center after potential exposure to a rare strain of hantavirus. While some passengers opted to stay voluntarily for the full 42-day quarantine, others have left to complete their isolation at home, provided their state health departments agreed to oversee their health monitoring.

Initially, Perryman anticipated leaving quarantine by June 1, but her home state of Florida did not consent to the federal monitoring requirements. Consequently, Kennedy signed an order on Monday extending her federal quarantine.

During a medical review led by CDC quarantine expert Dr. Michael Bell, it was determined that Perryman could safely return home if Florida's Department of Health accepted responsibility for her monitoring. Florida proposed a less rigorous daily telehealth check-in, which Bell deemed sufficient for public health safety.

However, Kennedy disagreed with Bell's findings, asserting that the federal quarantine was necessary to protect public health. His order did not address the specifics of Bell's nine-page report.

Perryman expressed frustration, stating that she feels imprisoned and has lost trust in the health system. She criticized the lack of scientific justification for her continued quarantine and described her experience as that of a detainee rather than a patient.

Currently, Perryman is confined to the quarantine unit, where she receives twice-daily temperature checks and has limited outdoor time. She has spent significant resources to secure private accommodations in Florida, hoping to complete her quarantine there.

As the situation unfolds, the Florida Department of Health has not responded to inquiries regarding the matter, and Nebraska Medical has directed all questions about quarantine orders to the CDC.

Reported by HarborBeat based on WMAR-2 News (source).