Angela Perryman sat inside the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska this week, holding a federal order that transformed her voluntary stay into a prison sentence. Perryman is one of 18 Americans evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship following an outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus. While she was told her return to the U.S. was voluntary, she and others were handed mandatory quarantine orders when they attempted to leave the facility in Omaha.

"It's a nice prison, but this is a prison," Perryman said in an interview with NPR. The outbreak was first identified by South African infectious disease expert Lucille Blumberg after deaths were reported aboard the Dutch vessel. Currently, 12 illnesses have been confirmed, and health officials are monitoring hundreds of people potentially exposed to the lethal strain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, led by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, has mandated that the passengers remain confined until at least May 31. This containment illustrates the fragility of the 'Biological Velvet Rope,' as the state uses its most restrictive powers against citizens while the Ebola Bundibugyo strain simultaneously penetrates critical mining hubs in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For those in Nebraska, the hospitality of the Davis Global Center cannot mask the reality of state-enforced isolation.