U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has refused to release a cruise ship passenger exposed to hantavirus in early May from a quarantine facility in Nebraska, despite a federal medical review that concluded she did not need to remain confined. The passenger, Angela Perryman, has remained symptom-free.

Perryman, who was evacuated from a cruise ship on May 11, has been held at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Her 42-day monitoring period, a duration based on the longest known incubation period for hantavirus, was set to expire on Sunday, June 21. Perryman expressed her distress, stating, "I want to be able to walk outside and put my feet in the grass. I want to be able to feel fresh air on my face when I want to. I want to be able to see people that are not in full PPE. I don’t want to be dehumanized anymore."

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Courtney Spencer, said Florida chose not to comply with federal requirements for monitoring Perryman if she returned home, necessitating her continued quarantine to protect both herself and the community.

Medical Review Findings

Earlier in June, Dr. Michael Bell of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) oversaw a medical review of Perryman's case. The review considered testimony from CDC officials and an outside medical expert. Federal officials had insisted on daily in-person monitoring and round-the-clock surveillance by local law enforcement or public officials if Perryman were to return home. Florida officials proposed a less stringent plan involving daily temperature checks and symptom assessments, which experts deemed reasonable. Despite Bell's recommendation on June 11 to allow Perryman to go home, Kennedy issued an order keeping her in quarantine.

Perryman described her confinement as similar to being in an airport hotel room, with limited movement and constant supervision. She received Kennedy's order on Monday, extending her stay until June 21. "I was appalled. I was horrified that the secretary, who is not a physician, would override the doctor and violate the law just to keep me locked up," Perryman stated.

Hantavirus Context and Previous Quarantines

Hantaviruses typically spread through inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings. However, the Andes virus, implicated in this outbreak which caused three deaths, can in rare instances spread between people. Perryman, who primarily resides in Ecuador but maintains a home in Florida, was among 18 Americans evacuated to the Nebraska facility. Eight of those passengers remained as of Tuesday, with the others having returned home earlier after their states agreed to the federal monitoring plan.

Initially, Perryman was assured the quarantine was voluntary and agreed to stay until May 22, based on expert advice regarding typical symptom onset. She was later informed she could not leave on that date. Perryman and another passenger received orders requiring them to quarantine until May 31, a legal step taken when individuals object to public health requests. These initial orders were signed by the CDC's acting director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. When Florida declined the federal monitoring requirements after May 31, Perryman was ordered to remain in Nebraska.

Criticism of the Decision

Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert involved in drafting federal quarantine regulations, called the decision to keep Perryman in Nebraska an "egregious violation" of her rights. He characterized the confinement as a deprivation of liberty and stated that a broad medical consensus supports her completing quarantine at home. Gostin also noted the apparent contradiction between Kennedy's decision and his public stance against mandates and lockdowns, saying, "This seems to me to drip with hypocrisy."