Gov. Malloy Signs Order Declaring Public Health Emergency Regarding Ebola

Gov. Malloy Signs 

Order Declaring P

ublic Health 

Emergency Regarding Ebola

Tuesday, Oct. 7, Gov. Dannel Malloy signed 

an order that gives the Commissioner of the 

Department of Public Health the ability to 

effectively quarantine an individual or a 

group of individuals who may have been 

exposed to or infected with the Ebola virus.

The order is not being executed because a 

specific case has been identified, but rather

 as a precautionary and preparatory measure

 in the event that the state has either a 

confirmed infection or has confirmed that

 someone at risk of developing the infection 

is residing in the state.

“We are taking this action today to ensure that 

we are prepared, in advance, to deal with any 

identified cases in which someone has been 

exposed to the virus or, worst case, infected,”

said Governor Malloy.  “Our state’s hospitals 

have been preparing for it, and public health 

officials from the state are working around 

the clock to monitor the situation.  Right now, 

we have no reason to think that anyone in the

 state is infected or at risk of infection.  

But it is essential to be prepared and we 

need to have the authorities in place that will 

allow us to move quickly to protect public health, 

if and when that becomes necessary.  Signing 

this order will allow us to do that.”

By signing the order, the Governor is declaring

 a public health emergency, which gives the 

Commissioner of DPH the authority to quarantine

 and isolate individuals whom the commissioner 

reasonably believes has been exposed to the 

Ebola virus.  Without the declaration, there is no

 statewide ability to isolate or quarantine – instead, 

the authority rests with each individual local public

 health director.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also released a 

statement encouraging the House Committee

 on Appropriations, the Senate Armed Services 

Committee and the House Armed Services 

Committee to approve the White House’s 

request for $1 billion in funding to deal with 

the growing Ebola crisis.

“One thing we know about stopping

pandemics is that time is of the essence.

Ebola has taken thousands of lives in

West Africa and decimated already

weak public health systems in these

countries; without immediate help

and resources, this epidemic will

continue to spread. This is a global

threat, and the United States must

lead the fight against it. Fear of

contagion has led some to call for

travel restrictions and further isolation

of these countries, but withdrawal is

not an option. We know that right now,

travel restrictions won’t stop the spread

of this disease, and may actually

exacerbate the problems these

countries face by preventing aid

from reaching them. The

whole-of-government plan outlined

by President Obama—marshalling

our military, health care, diplomatic,

and economic resources to fight this

epidemic—is exactly the right use of

American power, and Congress should

approve it without delay. Oversight by

congressional defense committees

must not hinder U.S. leadership in the

fight against this public health nightmare.”

Report by http://foxct.com/