--- title: Ebola: Chris Christie to Allow Quarantined Kaci Hickox to Return Home description: Governor had been criticized for quarantine measures canonical: https://time.com/3541126/ebola-chris-christie-kaci-hickox/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-27T14:04:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T01:48:34.000Z article:section: Health og:title: Ebola: Chris Christie to Allow Quarantined Kaci Hickox to Return Home og:description: Governor had been criticized for quarantine measures og:url: https://time.com/3541126/ebola-chris-christie-kaci-hickox/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcd996a44206e779b/698762d33c1639537a44f493/afdb5b671c9b48d79be980ff65310845-0-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ebola: Chris Christie to Allow Quarantined Kaci Hickox to Return Home twitter:description: Governor had been criticized for quarantine measures twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcd996a44206e779b/698762d33c1639537a44f493/afdb5b671c9b48d79be980ff65310845-0-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Christie Says Nurse Quarantined for Ebola Can Go Home > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=41a42321-9d06-41cd-9785-f902df75501b&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Governor Christie: "My Greater Responsibility Is To The Public" [Watch (HLS stream): Governor Christie: "My Greater Responsibility Is To The Public"](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bZD6PLQE.m3u8) (2:15)  _Published 2014-10-27. Governor Christie: "My Greater Responsibility Is To The Public"_  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Updated: Dec 14, 2023 1:48 AM UTCPublished: Oct 27, 2014 2:04 PM UTC  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Updated: Dec 14, 2023 1:48 AM UTCPublished: Oct 27, 2014 2:04 PM UTC New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie [said](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/nyregion/nurse-in-newark-to-be-allowed-to-finish-ebola-quarantine-at-home-christie-says.html?smid=tw-share&%5Fr=0) Monday that a nurse being quarantined for Ebola despite testing negative for the disease can complete her isolation period at home in Maine, reversing course after his mandated quarantine drew criticism from health officials and [a legal threat from the nurse](http://time.com/3540993/ebola-nurse-quarantine-lawsuit/). Kaci Hickox was being discharged Monday morning, the New Jersey Department of Health said. “Since testing negative for Ebola on early Saturday morning, the patient being monitored in isolation at University Hospital in Newark has thankfully been symptom free for the last 24 hours,” the department said in a statement. “As a result, and after being evaluated in coordination with the CDC and the treating clinicians at University Hospital, the patient is being discharged. “Since the patient had direct exposure to individuals suffering from the Ebola Virus in one of the three West African nations, she is subject to a mandatory New Jersey quarantine order,” the department added. “After consulting with her, she has requested transport to Maine, and that transport will be arranged via a private carrier not via mass transit or commercial aircraft. She will remain subject to New Jersey’s mandatory quarantine order while in New Jersey. Health officials in Maine have been notified of her arrangements and will make a determination under their own laws on her treatment when she arrives.” Hickox had been confined to a tent outside a New Jersey hospital for the past three days, after she returned from a trip to west Africa where she treated Ebola patients. Hickox publicly condemned the state for holding her under conditions that she described as inhumane. She also singled out Christie for blame for overstating her [status](http://time.com/3538834/ebola-quarantine-new-york/) as “obviously ill” when she had no fever-like symptoms upon landing, and her lawyer threatened to sue. Christie defended his actions Monday. “The fact of the matter is we’re going to protect the people of our state,” he told reporters in a video posted to YouTube by his office. “…I’m not going to step away for a minute from protecting the people of my state and our region. So I understand that she didn’t want to be there. She made that very clear from the beginning but my obligation is to all the people of New Jersey and we’re just going to continue to do that. So the critics are the critics no matter what you do there will be critics and you don’t worry that, you worry about doing what’s right for the people you represent and that’s what we’ve done.” ## Transcript The fact of the matter is that we're gonna protect the people of our state and I think you saw yesterday that this confirmation that. She's being treated quite well in New Jersey. CDC has been overseeing all the treatment that she's gotten in New Jersey. And I'm hopeful that, this morning, if all goes well, that we'll be able to release her, and send her back to Maine, where she can continue to be quarantined in her home. But you know, the fact is, I'm not gonna step away for a minute from protecting the people of my state and our region. And so I understand that she didn't wanna be there. She made that very clear from the beginning. But, my obligation is to all the people of New Jersey. And we're just gonna continue to do that. So the critics are the critics. No matter what you do, there will be critics. And you don't worry about them, you worry about doing what's right for the people you represent. That's what we've done. [ CROSSTALK ] Are you authorized to make a decision, do you want to release [ UNKNOWN ]? Oh, Mike, listen, it's always been about her condition. And if her condition permits release, then we'll work with the folks, the state officials in name, to make sure that she can go home. Our preference always is. To have people quarantine their homes. Now, in this instance it wasn't possible because, given her condition at the time, and the fact that CDC and New Jersey agreed she needed to be tested. That we needed to keep her in New Jersey. But as soon as we came to the conclusion that either she had the disease and if she did she would be transferred to a tier one facility somewhere else or. If she does not then she can be safely transferred to her own home and be quarantined there. It's always been our desire, but you can't. Take chances on this stuff, and allow people who may, in fact, be, be contagious to be able to travel. Last question. If she seems [ UNKNOWN ] the plan is to let her go later today. My, my, the plan from my perspective is, if the medical folks there want to let her go, we have a safe way to transport her from New Jersey to Maine, then I'd be more than happy to have her go home, because that's where she'll. She'll be most comfortable, but I was not gonna back off Michael for a moment until we had confirmation of all that, just because she didn't want to be there. I know she didn't wanna be there, no one ever wants to be in the hospital, I suspect. And so I understand that, but the fact is I have a much greater, bigger responsibility to the people, the public, so, I think when she has time for a flex she'll understand that as well. Thanks everyone, have a good day. 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