Thanks for spending ten minutes of your Wednesday with CNN STUDENT NEWS. I'm Carl Azuz at the CNN Center. There are more than 1,000 U.S.troops in West Africa helping prevent the spread of Ebola. Thousands more are set to deploy. For some in the Army, there's a mandatory 21 day quarantine when they return to their base in Italy.
But for civilians who've traveled to the U.S. from Ebola-stricken areas, that's up for debate. The U.S. government has revised its guidelines a couple of times now. Some criticize it for overreacting to the Ebola threat. Some call CDC's guidelines too confusing. Some criticize it for not doing enough to protect Americans.
But here's the thing: the CDC doesn't have the authority to enforce its guidelines. States do, and a few have added their own regarding who gets quarantined and when. It's not illegal, the Constitution allows states to impose stricter health regulations than the federal government. But they can't be challenged.
San Francisco's China Town was given a year-long quarantine order after a suspected case of the bubonic plague in the early 1900s. This black and white video shows men, most likely the Health Department committee checking for disease. And then there's Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the late 1800s, this startling historic illustration shows how a small pox outbreak forces people into isolation hospitals.
Perhaps, America's most famous quarantine happened right behind me: on Ellis Island, 12 million people were processed, more than 2 million would be hospitalized or quarantined.
CNN's review of quarantine and isolation's statutes across the country reveals that all 50 states have the power to isolate and quarantine.
At least give states, specifically detail their power to treat the sick involuntarily, at least four states mean business. Violating the order is a felony. Wisconsin could have the stiffest fine, $10,000. Mississippi, the longest jail sentence, five years.
The Centers for Disease Control is not recommending mandatory quarantines for everyone traveling from West Africa.
Deeply concerned about the Ebola situation.
But a pen stroke could change that, if President Obama exercises his executive power allowing federal authorities to detain and medically examine people traveling between states or entering the country.