Washington, October 28 (RHC)-- The governors of New York and New Jersey are facing federal pressure to reverse new quarantine rules on medical workers returning from West Africa. Under the policy, arriving passengers with a risk of Ebola exposure will be placed in a 21-day quarantine. Illinois has implemented a similar policy.

White House officials lobbied New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over the weekend, saying the rules would discourage workers from joining the Ebola response in West Africa.

On Sunday night, Cuomo announced a slight easing of the restrictions, saying the workers can be quarantined at home. At a news conference, Cuomo said he is trying to balance the need to help contain Ebola in West Africa with the protection of New Yorkers.

Meanwhile, a nurse named Kaci Hickox became the first health worker isolated under the rules after returning to New Jersey from Sierra Leone. On Monday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie agreed to release her after she denounced her treatment publicly and threatened to sue State authorities. Hickox had been placed in an isolated tent inside a Newark hospital despite testing negative for Ebola.