Florida Woman Quarantined Despite CDC Recommendation

A Florida woman, Angela Perryman, has been held in federal quarantine at a facility in Omaha, Nebraska, since May, despite a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that she be allowed to complete her isolation period at home. An order signed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. extended her quarantine on June 17, 2026, unless rescinded.

HHS officials stated that the Andes virus has a 40 percent case fatality rate, significantly higher than COVID-19, and a 42-day incubation period. They argued the quarantine order was necessary for the well-being of Perryman and the community in the absence of proper home monitoring. Perryman, who has not tested positive for the virus, alleges that her experience demonstrates a failure of checks and balances within the legal system, with no judicial review available.

Florida health officials had proposed a voluntary home quarantine agreement for Perryman, including daily telehealth monitoring. However, the federal government maintained that the quarantine conditions were necessary. Perryman and her attorney argue that the extended quarantine violates the law by not being the least restrictive measure necessary to protect public health, and that the government is ignoring the CDC's own medical review and legal statutes.