TOO FAR?

New CDC Quarantine Powers Could Violate Civil Liberties

Outbreak rules allow anyone to be detained without local or state approval.

Civil-liberties watchdogs are raising red flags over new rules that could allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials to detain anyone anywhere in the U.S. during a contagion outbreak. According to an NPR report Thursday morning, under the proposed regulations, CDC personnel would be able to detain individuals nationwide without first seeking approval from state or local officials. The changes, proposed by the Obama administration and now under review by the Trump White House, have been championed by some as important tools to protect the public from contagious diseases and would go into effect as soon as March. “The concern is that unless these regulations are carried out with care, and by people who [base their actions] on science, they can be used to trammel the civil liberties of Americans,” Northeastern University health policy lawyer Wendy Parmet told NPR.