Nurses decry Ebola risk

The state recently issued an Ebola quarantine order for counties to limit exposure risk, but California’s nurses are planning a two-day strike to demand more thorough Ebola safety precautions.

On Oct. 29, the California Department of Public Health announced standardized protocol that requires someone who has traveled from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone or contacted someone with a confirmed case of Ebola to be quarantined for 21 days, according to a DPH press release.

Meanwhile, nurses in 12 states and Washington, D.C., are planning a walkout on Nov. 11 and 12, which, in California alone, will involve 18,000 registered nurses and nurse practitioners at 66 Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics, according to SFGate.com. Representatives from National Nurses United say they’ve been pressing Kaiser for protective equipment, such as full-body hazardous materials suits, and continuous training for health care workers who might treat an Ebola patient.