90-Second Read: RFK Jr. overrules experts to keep Hantavirus cruise ship passenger in quarantine

Angela Perryman, the passenger, remains symptom-free five weeks after leaving the cruise ship. Perryman was among 18 Americans aboard the cruise ship who were evacuated to the Nebraska quarantine center on May 11. Perryman and one other passenger received orders from U.S. health officials requiring them to quarantine at the facility until May 31.

As of Tuesday, eight of the passengers were still there. Hantaviruses usually spread when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. However, the Andes virus at the center of this outbreak, which killed three people, may spread between people in rare cases.

At his urging, and at the urging of the facility's medical director, she agreed to stay until May 22 to protect public health because some medical experts say most people who develop symptoms do so within the first three weeks. Quarantine orders, which can be enforced with fines and prison time, are a rare legal step that can be taken if someone objects to a public health request. Public health law expert Lawrence Gostin calls the decision an egregious violation of the patient's rights.