CDC Director Unclear About when a Health Worker Is Allowed To Board a Plane

FRIEDEN: “I need to correct that.”

DEGETTE: “Okay.”

FRIEDEN: “I have not reviewed exactly what was said, but she did contact our agency and she did board the plane.”

DEGETTE: “And she says she was told to board the plane.”

FRIEDEN: “That may —“ [crosstalk]

DEGETTE: “Your August 22 protocol say, ‘People who are being monitored should not travel by commercial conveyances, don’t they?”

MURPHY: “Time expired. You can answer the question.”

DEGETTE: “That’s what they say.”

FRIEDEN: “People who are in what’s called ‘controlled movement’ should not board commercial airlines.”

DEGETTE: “Right, and that’s people who had close contact with these patients, right?

FRIEDEN: “Um --”

DEGETTE: “That’s what your guidelines say.”

FRIEDEN: “Guidelines say that people — health care workers with appropriate personnel protective equipment don’t need to be, but people without appropriate personal protective equipment do need to travel by controlled transportation.” [crosstalk]

MURPHY: “The time expired.”

DEGETTE: “I just ask for the record that the interim guidance dated October 22, the interim guidance dated August 1st, and interim guidance — CDC health advisory dated July -28th be included in material.”

MURPHY: “Without objection. Doctor Frieden, I need you and other doctors in Texas to get back to this committee as a follow up to our question because your comments you just made to us was that if she was wearing appropriate protective gear, she's okay to travel. If she was not, she should not have traveled. And you just told us -- we don’t know.”