US recommends voluntary isolation for health workers

The US government Monday urged people considered "high-risk" for Ebola to voluntarily stay at home for 21 days after returning from Ebola-stricken West African countries.

Tom Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), said at a telebriefing that travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will now be placed into four risk categories, based on their degree of exposure to the deadly virus, Xinhua reported.

The high-risk category would involve those who, for instance, got a needle stick while caring for an Ebola patient or family members who have cared for an Ebola patient without using protective equipment, he said.

Those people would be advised to voluntarily isolate themselves at home for 21 days and undergo direct active monitoring with their temperatures taken twice a day. They would also not be allowed to take public transportation or attend public gatherings, said the CDC chief.