# Ebola: Maine Teacher Is Put On Leave Because She Visited Dallas **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 19, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746 "2014-10-19T00:03:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/1 "2014-10-19T00:03:45Z")
[No, really](http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/10/18/3581611/maine-teacher-put-on-leave-due-to-ebola-fears-because-she-visited-dallas/). She didn’t come into contact with anybody who tested positive for the virus, but she _was_ close to ten miles away from the hospital. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/2 "2014-10-19T00:53:09Z")
If I throw up, can I get a week of quarantine? I could use the rest. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/3 "2014-10-19T00:57:43Z")
I have an aunt who lives somewhere in TX. Can I be put on leave? StG ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/4 "2014-10-19T00:59:32Z")
The whole of Maine should be quarantined. It is just too close for comfort to Africa. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/5 "2014-10-19T01:08:13Z")
According to [this story](http://www.pressherald.com/2014/10/17/fearing-ebola-strong-elementary-teacher-on-leave-after-traveling-to-dallas/), the teacher: > [@](#): > > was placed on a 21-day paid leave of absence after parents told the school board they were concerned that she might have been exposed to Ebola during a trip to Dallas for an educational conference. 21 days paid leave? Every school teacher in that district should immediately purchase a return ticket to Dallas. That would, at the very least, inflict on these fucking morons some consequences for their retarded idiocy. Let’s see how they cope having to keep their kids home from school for three weeks. > [@njtt](#): > > The whole of Maine should be quarantined. It is just too close for comfort to Africa. Did you know that Maine is, in fact, the closest American state to Africa? It’s one of those things that sounds really weird the first time you hear it. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/6 "2014-10-19T01:11:47Z")
The stooopid, it hurts. And I lived in China during SARs when there was pretty heavy handed quarantines. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/7 "2014-10-19T01:13:04Z")
And from the same article: > [@](#): > > A Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist for the Washington Post, who photographed Ebola victims in Liberia in September, was disinvited from a photojournalism workshop at Syracuse University even though he showed no signs of the disease for 21 days after his return to the United States. On Thursday, a woman flying on an American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Chicago vomited in the airplane, and was subsequently locked in a bathroom by flight staff. In Hazelhurst, Mississippi, a crowd of parents pulled their middle school students from class Friday after learning that the school’s principal recently had traveled to attend a family funeral in Zambia, which is in southern Africa and about 3,000 miles from the outbreak in West Africa. There are no words for this stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/8 "2014-10-19T01:18:32Z")
Looks like she’ll enjoy temporarily earning money for free. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/9 "2014-10-19T01:23:42Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I have an aunt who lives somewhere in TX. Can I be put on leave? > > StG Right, the stupid just gave this teacher a free vacation. Heck, if I were this teacher, I’d come back to Dallas next month. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/10 "2014-10-19T02:22:34Z")
I ran through the Dallas airport in the early 90’s, and right now I think I’m coming down with something. So I’ll sign up for the vacation. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/11 "2014-10-19T02:38:53Z")
If my surname is Austin can I stay home? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/12 "2014-10-19T02:41:12Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Did you know that Maine is, in fact, the closest American state to Africa? It’s one of those things that sounds really weird the first time you hear it. Um yeah, that was kind of my point, but I was trying to be just a _little_ bit subtle about it. I think I learned the fact on these boards, though. Mind you, if you look at a globe it is fairly obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/13 "2014-10-19T03:07:21Z")
I went to Maine a few times, ten years ago. Guess I better go make my will. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/14 "2014-10-19T03:14:12Z")
Hell, I live less than 3.5 miles from the hospital (it’s the closest to my house). I’d sure like some time off with pay! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/15 "2014-10-19T03:19:45Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Hell, I live less than 3.5 miles from the hospital (it’s the closest to my house). > > I’d sure like some time off with pay! I think you should be barred from posting until we know you’re symptom-free. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/16 "2014-10-19T03:20:22Z")
I’m going to Maine tomorrow. Do we know if this sort of stupid is airborne, or can it only be transmitted through fluids? What precautions should I take? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/17 "2014-10-19T03:24:21Z")
Come on, she was on a plane. People with Ebola were known to be on a plane also. I say this quarantine is entirely justified, and everybody who has been on a plane since September 20 should immediately get a three-week [del]vacation[/del] quarantine. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/18 "2014-10-19T04:04:51Z")
Yay! ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/19 "2014-10-19T04:23:24Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > The stooopid, it hurts. > > And I lived in China during SARs when there was pretty heavy handed quarantines. SARs was lot more wide spread than this Ebola thing and yet people did not get so worked up like this Ebola thing. Must be the media doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746/20 "2014-10-19T04:26:22Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > SARs was lot more wide spread than this Ebola thing and yet people did not get so worked up like this Ebola thing. > > Must be the media doing it. No, it’s the scary suits. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-maine-teacher-is-put-on-leave-because-she-visited-dallas/701746.md?page=2)