Florida Health Officials Challenge CDC Quarantine Guidelines for Infected Cruise Passengers
Florida health officials are resisting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) quarantine recommendations for passengers aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which has reported cases of the Andean hantavirus, a severe and potentially deadly infection.
Angela Perryman, a 47-year-old American on the ship, described her frustration amid what she perceives as a standoff between state and federal authorities. “I’m being held hostage to a power struggle between the state and federal government,” she lamented. Since joining the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center on May 11, Perryman has struggled emotionally, stating that every day has brought tears.
Health officials initially assured passengers, including Perryman, that they could complete their quarantine at home after the end of May. Some evacuees even returned to Japan on June 1. Despite testing negative for the virus, the uncertainty and restrictions surrounding their ordeal have weighed heavily on the group.
The CDC has requested that states deploy law enforcement and public health officials to monitor the homes of quarantined passengers. It has become the responsibility of Florida’s health department to implement these measures for returning passengers. However, Brian Wright, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health, announced that Florida would not enforce round-the-clock monitoring for these individuals. “The State does not believe that unnecessarily intrusive restrictions are justified,” he explained.
While the Florida health agency has not issued a formal response beyond this, Dr. David Fitter has been appointed to lead the state’s response efforts, operating under the oversight of Dr. Jay Bhattacharyya, who has openly critiqued the CDC’s restrictive measures during the pandemic.
Perryman and 17 other Americans were part of a group on the Hondius during the hantavirus outbreak in May, subsequently transported to the Nebraska medical facility known for treating significant infectious disease cases, including early coronavirus patients and Ebola cases in 2014. As of recent updates, ten of the passengers have been released to their home states, where they will continue to be monitored until their quarantine concludes on June 22.
The return process for these passengers involved coordination between the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Response and state and local health departments. Despite the successful return of some travelers, eight remain in Nebraska, including Perryman. Publicly, the only other passenger sharing their experience is Jake Rosmarin, who has been updating followers via Instagram about his quarantine journey.
The World Health Organization has confirmed 13 cases of the Andean virus linked to the cruise, resulting in three fatalities. Importantly, no American passenger has displayed any symptoms. With a mortality rate of 23%, officials are vigilant in their efforts to control the spread of this strain of hantavirus, which is uniquely known to be transmitted among humans, unlike other variants that spread chiefly from rodents. The virus’s long incubation period, lasting up to six weeks, further amplifies concerns regarding potential outbreaks.
Perryman expressed a longing for simple, daily joys: “I just want to go home and stay home and have no contact with anyone,” she said, while also yearning for the tranquility of tending her garden and observing nature.
