White House response to hantavirus and Ebola contrasts with COVID criticisms

Many American passengers from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship have quarantined at Nebraska Medicine's Davis Global Center in Omaha. Rebecca S. Gratz/AP hide caption

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The Trump administration has imposed some very tough measures in response to the hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks, despite the president's past history of criticizing COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic.

The administration imposed mandatory federal quarantine orders on two American passengers from the cruise ship hit by the hantavirus, wants round-the-clock guards for some U.S. passengers quarantining at home, banned people from countries where Ebola is spreading from entering the U.S, and blocked Americans who catch Ebola from returning to the country for treatment.

"They have spent so much time talking about not having the government impose on peoples individual decisions and individual movement, touted individual choice over public health, and argued that individual freedom trumps public health guidance," says Dr. Ashish Jha , a senior fellow at Harvard University who served as President Biden's COVID-19 Response Coordinator. "And yet, in response to the hantavirus and Ebola, this administration has chosen to impose very draconian and extreme public health measures."

The administration, and some outside experts, defend the steps as necessary to protect the American public. Critics say the aggressive measures are uncalled for and counterproductive, and worry that similar tactics would be imposed more widely if any kind of outbreak actually occurs in the U.S.

"It's very concerning about what overreaction we may see," says James Hodge , a public health law professor at Arizona State University. "How far will this government go to contain an outbreak?"

The actions are surprising to some because of the administration's criticisms of lockdowns, mask mandates, vaccine requirements and other measures imposed during the pandemic. In addition, federal health officials frequently cite "health freedom" or "medical freedom" in announcing new policies, such as questioning vaccines and making unproven remedies such as peptides more easily available . The health freedom movement calls for leaving more medical decisions up to individuals.