Kaci Hickox Fighting Quarantine Imposed by State of Maine
COOPER: More developments in the capture of Eric Frein in a moment. But late developments tonight on Ebola and the escalating standoff between Maine's governor and Kaci Hickox, the Ebola fighting nurse who battled quarantine measures in New Jersey. And one is now doing the same back home in rural northern Maine. This morning, Hickox and her boyfriend hit wheel - went for a bike ride, breaking her quarantine. And why not, she says, she is not ill and is twice now tested negative for Ebola. Reporters clearly didn't mind getting close to her. Countless public health experts say she poses no threat whatsoever to the community, and late today after negotiations between her attorneys and state officials over altering the quarantine broke down, Maine's Governor Republican Paul LePage took a hard line.</s>GOV. PAUL LEPAGE (R) MAINE: I don't want her within three feet of anybody.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happens if she does? Is there any legal ramifications that ....</s>LEPAGE: Let's put it this way. I'm going to use the legal provisions to the fullest extent that the law allows me.</s>COOPER: Unclear exactly what that means. He also said that Ms. Hickox could come out of her house, and that it would sound like a veiled threats in quote, "We can't protect her when she does that." Which is confusing, because right after that he says that the state troopers outside her house where there precisely to protect her, so why that protection would vanish when she walks out the door is unclear, and in any case, protection from whom? Late today, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the federal CDC officials had been in touch with their main counterparts, but that President Obama who was actually in Maine today campaigning for Governor LePage's opponent, would not get directly involved in the case. The president, said Earnest, believes that this is Maine's decision to make, but hopes it will be made on the scientific merits. More on the science and the politics in a moment. First, the local reaction from Alexandra Field.</s>CATHERINE JANDREAU, LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER: This is a small community, and if one person gets sick, you know, everybody gets sick right away. And I think that is the big thing, it's just fear.</s>ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fort Kent, Maine, may be a small town but there is no shortages of opinions on Kaci Hickox and the state's quarantine.</s>SOLENGE BARD: She should go on quarantine, because it scares me. It scares people. Being affected by it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is only transferable by bodily fluids, I guess we don't really have anything to worry about if we don't come in contact with her.</s>FIELD: These four tenths of pretty quiet town are just 4,000 people here, this is a logging community. It sits on Maine's border with Canada. But the low-key atmosphere here all changed on Monday, that's when Nurse Kaci Hickox came home.</s>KACI HICKOX: And I'm so thankful to be home with my partner, Dad.</s>FIELD: The pizza shop owner Becky Lawn says she is not sure what she would do if Hickox came into her restaurant. But she is backing Hickox, and is, in fact, proud of her decision to defy the state's request.</s>BECKY LAWN, LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER: Fort Kent has a very small, neat community, very family oriented, and I think she has got a lot of support here.</s>FIELD: Both support and criticism.</s>JIM MAJKA, NEIGHBOR OF KACI HICKOX: We don't need this here. It is a simple thing. Stay in the quarantine until it is over and we're good.</s>JANDREAU: I don't want to bring it home. I'm sorry, but I think she should know better, because she is a nurse, a health professional.</s>FIELD: A reaction some people believe is simply driven by the unknown.</s>APRIL HAFFORD, WORKS IN FORT KENT: I think it is an overreaction in a way. I mean, you know, people are scared of what they don't know about.</s>COOPER: And we should point out again, Alexandra, Kaci Hickox does not have Ebola, she has not tested possible for Ebola, she's therefore not contagious at all. Alexandra joins us now. So, I understand Kaci's boyfriend spoke out just a short time ago. What did he say tonight?</s>FIELD: Yes, he came out here and talk to reporters and addressed a couple of issues. First of all, he talked about what they are doing inside, eating pizza, watching "The Avengers," if you are wondering. He also talked about the frustration that this quarantine - he says he's missing his classes at the university. He has to call in and listen by phone. And he did talk about that much disgust bike ride, he says that he and Kaci are members of this community. They stayed on the trails, they didn't go into town, they didn't' go to stores, they didn't go talking to people. He says they don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but they also don't believe that they can in any way make anyone sick. Anderson, what he didn't talk about was the legal threats from the governor or what the response from Kaci could be.</s>COOPER: So, he is not allowed to go to his school by school authorities?</s>FIELD: That is right. He says that this has been explained to him as a voluntary quarantine. But at the same time he is telling us the university is telling him that he can't be in class. So the question of this word voluntary certainly comes up. It's something they've both been experiencing. For now, he says he is being told that he can turn in his assignments next month, follow along on the phone, I guess, is best he can, but it's not an ideal situation for him.</s>COOPER: Alexandra Field, I appreciate the update. Thanks. Up next, late details on the capture of Eric Frein and the CNN exclusive Ferguson, Missouri's police chief on reports that he'll be forced out to resign and more.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where does it stand? Are you going to resign?</s>THOMAS JACKSON, FERGUSON, MISSOURI POLICE CHIEF: No, I'm going to stay and see this through.