90-Second Read: Bend doctor at center of Hantavirus outbreak back home — but still in quarantine

After surviving a traumatic Hantavirus outbreak on a birdwatching cruise that left three people dead, Stephen Kornfield is back in Bend. After disembarking the infected ship, Kornfield and other Americans spent three weeks at the Nebraska Medical Center quarantine unit. The World Health Organization advised returning passengers to stay in quarantine for 42 days due, to the long incubation period of Hantavirus. A semi-retired oncologist, he said he has been pushing through the tough experiences of the last months, including caring for sick people on the boat, testing positive for the disease, and isolation both on the ship and in federal quarantine in Nebraska.

Despite two and a half months apart, Kornfeld and his wife have still not been able to embrace. A federally-ordered nurse still meets him at the top of his driveway twice a day to monitor any potential symptoms. Closing in on the end of those 42 days, Kornfeld said that he hasn't yet had time to decompress and conceptualize the surreal experience he's still living through. Confined to his Bend home, Kornfeld cannot have guests over, must wear a mask indoors, and maintain physical distance from others.

Kornfield remains […] You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience. A security guard sits outside, a nurse visits twice a day, and he has yet to be able to embrace his wife and reconnect with his community. The Oregon Health Authority decided Kornfield could return home, but a private security contractor would sit in a car outside his residence.

Although its not perfect, Kornfield said it's better than the alternative. He passed that time in hospital room with thick glass windows and a boring view of a parking lot. To pass the time, he talked with friends and media via WhatsApp, finished watching the television show "The Pit," exercised, and kept daily lists of the birds he saw but could not hear.