St. Clair County’s Medical Health Officer says she won’t be giving up her power to issue public health orders, such as a 10-day quarantine order for those who are exposed to COVID-19 or test positive for the virus and are unvaccinated. Speaking to WPHM yesterday, Dr. Annette Mercatante explains the purpose of her orders.
“Quarantine is a cornerstone, it’s a basis for infectious disease management, in my mind it’s non-negotiable,” said Dr. Mercatante. “Right now quarantine requirements are after a high risk exposure, we can ask people to do ten days (of quarantine) or seven days with a test.”
She says quarantine is not just a practice unique to the COVID-19 pandemic. She says her office also used quarantine for every infectious disease that exists, including chicken pox, mumps, and measles. Mercatante has been subject to increased local scrutiny from elected officials and especially parents of school age children over the quarantine order.
