90-Second Read: Five people have left Hantavirus quarantine facility in Nebraska

Five passengers from the Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship have left a national quarantine facility and returned to their home states, Nebraska Medicine announced Tuesday. All 18 passengers who were potentially exposed to the Andes strain of the virus were "strongly encouraged" to stay until they reached the recommended 42-day monitoring at the quarantine unit in Nebraska, but some insisted on leaving after three weeks. White House officials had pushed for aggressive home monitoring and the stationing of an armed guard outside of homes 24/7 for those quarantined, The Washington Post has reported. The remaining 13 passengers will stay for the duration of the 42-day monitoring period.

Their monitoring and quarantine period will end June 22, the state's Health Commissioner James McDonald said in statement. They have agreed and are required to remain at their residences, have no contact with other people, and participate in daily monitoring activities conducted by local health officials. Another of the passengers has returned to Oregon where they will be monitored, the state health department announced Tuesday. The passengers undertook "appropriate biocontainment measures" and did not fly commercially, with their travel overseen by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

But public health officials have repeatedly pushed back against these types of restrictive measures, and noted that some top administration officials had harshly criticized similar measures to contain the coronavirus during the pandemic. Plans are in place to transport them to appropriate medical facilities if they develop symptoms or need any other medical care. The risk of infection for Oregon residents "remains extremely low and there are no concerns of transmission to the general public," the health department said in a statement. A request for comment to the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and ASPR was not immediately returned.