# Ebola at our local jail - I'm about to jump on a bandwagon

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 16, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496 "2014-10-16T15:56:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/1 "2014-10-16T15:56:01Z")

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So I hate seeing all the stupid shit on Facebook… blaming Obama for not cancelling all flights into the U.S. from Africa, etc…

But we just got word that our local jail is on lockdown because of an Ebola scare. :eek:

Our jurisdiction encompasses Dulles International Airport. A guy flew in from Sierra Leon and got popped by Customs for having an extradition warrant. So he is brought to our local jail to await extradition. Then he starts having a massive, uncontrollable fever.

Fuckitty fuck fuck. Who knows how this will play out. But my liberal ass is about to start blaming Obama for not stopping all flights out of Africa. :mad:

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**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/2 "2014-10-16T16:13:45Z")

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If this turns out to be legitimate, then you can probably count the hours before the FAA imposes such a ban. I read that they’re considering putting medical staff who treat ebola patients on the No fly List.

There seems to have been a lot of foot dragging at the CDC, which really isn’t Obama’s fault. But if liberals got to blame the FEMA fuckup on Bush, then I say turnaround is fair play. And it most certainly does seem that the Obama Administration has had its head in the sand on the seriousness of this epidemic.

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**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/3 "2014-10-16T16:31:24Z")

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> [@llcoolbj77](#):
>
> Fuckitty fuck fuck. Who knows how this will play out. But my liberal ass is about to start blaming Obama for not stopping all flights out of Africa. :mad:

Yes, because abandoning thousands of American citizens to die in a Third World hellhole is _definitely_ the appropriate response to a single infectee.

It’s a hemmorhagic fever, not a zombie plague.

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**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/4 "2014-10-16T16:31:58Z")

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If you’re in Cobb County, GA, the guy tested [negative](http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/marietta/2014/10/03/cobb-county-ebola-patient/16654681/).

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**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/5 "2014-10-16T16:33:56Z")

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> [@Diceman](#):
>
> And it most certainly does seem that the Obama Administration has had its head in the sand on the seriousness of this epidemic.

I don’t think that \<10 cases = epidemic.

Potential seriousness, yes. But right now? Not so much. It suck and there need to be much better and transparent guidelines, but it is not TEOTWAWKI. Even if I am stocking up on cat litter, cat food, and human food and water. And dusting off my N95 masks and nitrile gloves. Just in case.

> [@Smapti](#):
>
> It’s a hemmorhagic fever, not a zombie plague.

A zombie plague would be more interesting. I would totally love to watch a chirpy morning news anchor get eaten by a zombie horde.

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**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/6 "2014-10-16T16:38:32Z")

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And of course all the potential sickies in West Africa who would otherwise have hopped a plane elsewhere (a method of travel that is not very accessible to the amateur and requires a lot of infrastructure and support along with restricted and monitored access) will sit tight in their respective countries and definitely not hoof it, swim, boat or otherwise travel somewhere not a hotbed of illness.

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**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/7 "2014-10-16T16:39:10Z")

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> [@Smapti](#):
>
> Yes, because abandoning thousands of American citizens to die in a Third World hellhole is _definitely_ the appropriate response to a single infectee.
> 
> It’s a hemmorhagic fever, not a zombie plague.

I know I know… I just never expected it so close to home. It’s easier to be rational when it’s not in your own backyard.

The reality is, for me, this is a mere inconvenience as far as access to my clients. But that’s why I posted in MPISMS and not the Pit.

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**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/8 "2014-10-16T16:48:13Z")

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> [@Inner\_Stickler](#):
>
> And of course all the potential sickies in West Africa who would otherwise have hopped a plane elsewhere (a method of travel that is not very accessible to the amateur and requires a lot of infrastructure and support along with restricted and monitored access) will sit tight in their respective countries and definitely not hoof it, swim, boat or otherwise travel somewhere not a hotbed of illness.

Which sounds plausible when a hyper Fox Gnus anchor is saying so. But so far, it’s just not accurate.

The current Ebola outbreak has been going on for six months, and we haven’t had a flood of sick travelers from West Africa coming into the country. You’d think if it were going to be a real problem, we’d see it by now, no?

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**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/9 "2014-10-16T16:51:39Z")

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Yeah but what did Obama do during the Spanish Flu epidemic? NOTHING!! And we saw how that turned out. How many Americans need to die?

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**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/10 "2014-10-16T17:02:21Z")

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> [@GrumpyBunny](#):
>
> If you’re in Cobb County, GA, the guy tested [negative](http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/marietta/2014/10/03/cobb-county-ebola-patient/16654681/).

The OP mentioned Dulles International Airport, which serves the DC area. I didn’t see anything on the Washington Post’s website, but maybe they’re waiting to see if the guy tests positive or not.

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**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/11 "2014-10-16T17:21:08Z")

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So how would such a travel ban work exactly? What’s the substantive difference if our notional Ebola-infected traveler flies from Liberia directly to the States, or changes planes in Paris or Amsterdam (except for providing at least twice as many opportunities to pass around the virus)?

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**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/12 "2014-10-16T17:44:25Z")

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> [@Diceman](#):
>
> The OP mentioned Dulles International Airport, which serves the DC area. I didn’t see anything on the Washington Post’s website, but maybe they’re waiting to see if the guy tests positive or not.

Doing some Googling the only thing I can see about an Ebola lockdown in the last 24 hours is just from this post.

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/13 "2014-10-16T17:51:35Z")

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Oh, you’re all so panicky and ignorant of risk assessment.

“Play, Eddie, play!”

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/14 "2014-10-16T17:51:58Z")

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> [@llcoolbj77](#):
>
> So I hate seeing all the stupid shit on Facebook… blaming Obama for not cancelling all flights into the U.S. from Africa, etc…
> 
> But we just got word that our local jail is on lockdown because of an Ebola scare. :eek:
> 
> Our jurisdiction encompasses Dulles International Airport. A guy flew in from Sierra Leon and got popped by Customs for having an extradition warrant. So he is brought to our local jail to await extradition. Then he starts having a massive, uncontrollable fever.
> 
> Fuckitty fuck fuck. Who knows how this will play out. But my liberal ass is about to start blaming Obama for not stopping all flights out of Africa. :mad:

I can find nothing online to corroborate this story. The only thing I can find is a story about a prisoner at Cobb County jail falsely claiming to have been in Africa. [Cite](http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/26698613/1-examined-after-cobb-jail-ebola-scare). And that story is dated 3 October, so the incident is long over with.

Is this what the OP is about, or is there another jail lockdown due to suspected Ebola in the DC area? :dubious:

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**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/15 "2014-10-16T18:22:21Z")

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> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> I can find nothing online to corroborate this story. The only thing I can find is a story about a prisoner at Cobb County jail falsely claiming to have been in Africa. [Cite](http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/26698613/1-examined-after-cobb-jail-ebola-scare). And that story is dated 3 October, so the incident is long over with.
> 
> Is this what the OP is about, or is there another jail lockdown due to suspected Ebola in the DC area? :dubious:

Be dubious all you want. 😉 DIA spans both Loudoun and Fairfax Counties. But the main terminal, and Customs, sit in Loudoun. So whenever someone is busted at the airport, they come our way.

According to my boss, they are waiting on the tests, and we should know this afternoon if the inmate is positive.

I know its not being reported yet. I will put in a link if it is. If anyone wants to keep googling… the jail is the Loudoun Adult Detention Center.

But all of our prelims with incarcerated inmates and arraignments were cancelled. They wouldn’t even do video-conferenced arraignments. Our local community corrections office was having a barbeque today, and it was all anyone can talk about. I’m not looking forward to the million client phone calls I’ll get - begging for bond. I don’t blame them, but I’m not looking forward to it.

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**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/16 "2014-10-16T18:42:22Z")

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> [@GrumpyBunny](#):
>
> I don’t think that \<10 cases = epidemic.

It most certainly is an epidemic in West Africa. The idea is to keep the epidemic from spreading into our country. And that requires a ton of vigilance.

I’ve read that Colombia & St. Lucia have already imposed travel bans from West Africa. For a tourism-based economy like St. Lucia, that’s a BFD.

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**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/17 "2014-10-16T18:49:00Z")

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The lady who works the front desk at the jail just shared the following with us…

The inmate was a lady from Sierra Leone. Just based on where she was from, they never put her in general population. She was in medical isolation from the get go. In fact, the jail staff was mostly concerned about getting in trouble for treating her differently just based on where she was from.

However, when she developed a fever a day or two after getting here, they think they made a defensible choice. Apparently, she was only having a mild fever, no headaches or joint aches. But given the risk factors, they sent her to the hospital anyway. So we are waiting to hear about the results.

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**Author:** ![JesterX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JesterX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JesterX)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/18 "2014-10-16T18:52:48Z")

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Anybody watching the House Ebola hearings?

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**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/19 "2014-10-16T19:26:08Z")

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> [@JesterX](#):
>
> Anybody watching the House Ebola hearings?

SPOILERS: Turns out that Ebola originated in Benghazi.

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**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496/20 "2014-10-16T19:34:08Z")

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It’s now being reported [locally](http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/ebola-watch-loudoun-hospital-testing-inmate-who-had-been-to/article_910b608a-5560-11e4-8419-8f9d970ad5ed.html). Don’t know when the WashPo will jump on it. Still waiting on the results.

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-at-our-local-jail-im-about-to-jump-on-a-bandwagon/701496.md?page=2)
