90-Second Read: Hantavirus Cruise Passenger Says She’s ‘Being Held Hostage’ Due to Public Health Dispute Between CDC, Florida

An American passenger who was aboard a cruise ship that endured a deadly Hantavirus outbreak says she is being held in a federal quarantine facility against her will due to a public health battle between the state of Florida and the CDC. Perryman said Florida health officials are pushing back against the CDC requirement that states place law enforcement or public health workers outside the homes of those in quarantine and check their temperature twice a day in person. Perryman is a retired nature lover and photographer who was aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which began its journey on April 1 in Argentina and was struck during the trip by an outbreak of Hantavirus that resulted in the deaths of three passengers.

She described the conditions to Vespa as like being in "prison" and "solitary confinement." One of her lawyers told Vespa that Florida state officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can't agree on the conditions of what a quarantine in Florida should be. The state does not believe unnecessarily intrusive restrictions are warranted when established public health practices can effectively protect both public health and personal freedom. The type of Hantavirus involved in the outbreak is the rare Andes strain, which can spread from person to person.

The Hantavirus has a six-week incubation period, which is how long officials recommended the passengers be quarantined at the facilities. These states agreed to accept the passengers and the CDC requirements, NBC News reported. Angela Perryman, 47, says she is seeking to finish her six-week quarantine period, which ends on June 22, in her home state of Florida.