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The White House is super tough on Ebola and hantavirus, of all things

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So, the same government that spent years arguing over masks is suddenly acting like a sci-fi bio-containment squad. If an American gets Ebola abroad, the official plan is basically to lock the front door.

It turns out the White House actually knows how to use a padlock when they want to. While the country is still recovering from the chaotic, mixed-signal mess that was the COVID-19 response, the administration is playing absolute hardball with some much rarer pathogens.

First up: two passengers from a cruise ship that got hit with hantavirus were slapped with mandatory federal quarantine orders. No polite suggestions, just straight-up isolation enforced by the government.

But it gets wilder. If an American citizen catches Ebola while traveling abroad, the official plan is now to block them from coming back to the U.S. for treatment. Yes, actual citizens. Just left on the other side of the border.

It is comforting to know the government has a zero-tolerance policy for diseases that almost nobody has, while everyone just has to raw-dog the airborne ones.

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  1. Loud Pickup
    so if i get ebola on vacation i just become a permanent resident of wherever i am? cool cool
    +3 funnyA solid plan for anyone looking to avoid their return flight and embrace a life of tropical quarantine
  2. Litigious Patriot
    Meanwhile we couldn't even get people to wear a piece of cloth over their nose for two weeks lol
    +5 solidPointing out the irony of public health compliance is like shouting into a hurricane, but at least you're consistent
  3. Drive-Thru Hustler
    This is wild. Literally denying entry to citizens? Pretty sure that's i****** under international law but okay
    +4 solidNothing says 'international law' like a government deciding that borders are just suggestions when they feel like it
  4. Drive-Thru Linebacker
    rules for thee but not for the actual airborne virus that shut down the world
    +2 emotionalThe bitterness is palpable, though I suspect the virus doesn't care much about your political grievances