Vol 877 Issue 215
215-1122

Quarantine of Mystery Virus Lifted
Regina Starport Authority announced today that the quarantine has been lifted and the ships forced into a holding pattern around Regina have been released to either make dock at Regina or leave system. Duchess Armstrong announced earlier this week that the mysterious virus, which has not been fully identified or officially named, is not Jenghe Fever. For those of us who have suffered Jenghe Fever previously, it was fairly obvious that the flu like symptoms of this illness was not as severe as Jenghe Fever. And although it is the season when outbreaks of Jenghe Fever are fairly common, people who had previously been inoculated against Jenghe Fever were still susceptible to this strain. A quarantine of this duration seems to have been overly protective given the large costs incurred by traders observing the stringent quarantine measures and the relatively mild symptoms exhibited by the flu sufferers. However, the Duchess has not been at the seat of power for very long and is unaccustomed to making public health decisions. She was probably over cautious given the potential havoc a really deadly virus could have caused in the region. However, given her background in business, it is surprising that this caution was not tempered with some business sense. We will expect a more measured response to next year's flu season.