Cuomo backs down in quarantine standoff

New York state softened its Ebola quarantine policy late Sunday, saying it would allow people to remain in their homes.

The move follows a standoff between New York and New Jersey, and the White House. 

{mosads}New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that people arriving from the affected West African countries who had direct contact with people infected with Ebola would be quarantined for 21 days in their homes, with visits from officials checking on them.

That is a change from Friday, when Cuomo joined New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) to announce a quarantine in a government-regulated facility.   

After Cuomo walked back the policy on Sunday, New Jersey said it would also allow in-home quarantines, adding that was not a change in policy.

The White House and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) appear to have come out on top on the issue, after Cuomo and Christie split from them with the mandatory quarantine announcement on Friday.

The White House had indicated earlier on Sunday it was calling on Cuomo and Christie to change course. De Blasio’s office said it had not been informed of Cuomo’s plans, a contrast from Thursday night, when de Blasio and Cuomo sat side-by-side to reassure New Yorkers after the first case in the city was announced.

Nurse Kaci Hickox, quarantined at a New Jersey hospital after returning from work in Sierra Leone despite testing negative for Ebola, has been sharply critical of Christie’s policy. 

“I feel like my basic human rights have been violated,” she told CNN. 

De Blasio weighed in Sunday, saying, “What happened to her was inappropriate.”