New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has defended putting a nurse in quarantine for three days - in what she claims was a violation of her human rights - to protect residents from Ebola.

Christie and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo were sharply criticized for ordering mandatory quarantines when Kaci Hickox, 33, complained that she was held against her will after returning to the U.S. from West Africa, even though she did not show any symptoms of the illness.

But Christie has maintained he did the right thing.

'My first responsibility is to protect the public health and safety of the people of New Jersey,' Christie said on Today on Tuesday morning.

Not backing down: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, pictured on the Today show on Tuesday, has maintained that his strict quarantine rules are to protect the wellbeing of residents

'I will not submit to any political pressure to do anything I believe is less than necessary.'

He said that, despite criticisms, the state would not be changing its protocol.

'We're trying to be careful here,' he said. 'This is common sense... We're not moving an inch... Our policy has not changed. Our policy will not change.'

He said that the CDC was now changing its 'incredibly confusing' policies to match with his state's.

His comments came as Hickox left the New Jersey hospital and arrived at an undisclosed location in Maine, where her partner is a nursing student at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. She now faces quarantine in Maine.

Battle: Nurse Kaci Hickox, 33, said being forced into quarantine in New Jersey was 'inhumane'

But one of Hickox's lawyers, Steve Hyman, said he expected her to remain in seclusion for the 'next day or so' while he works with Maine health officials.

She was the first person forced into New Jersey's mandatory quarantine for people arriving at Newark Liberty from three West African countries.

She threatened to sue the state for placing her in an unheated, 15ft x 20ft isolation tent with no working toilet in the University Hospital parking lot in Newark.

He said he believes the state should follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that require only monitoring, not quarantine, for health care workers who show no symptoms after treating Ebola patients.

'She's a very good person who did very good work and deserves to be honored, not detained, for it,' he said.

Hickox, who was expected home Tuesday morning, volunteered in Africa with Doctors Without Borders.

She spent the weekend in a quarantine tent in New Jersey despite having no symptoms other than a slightly elevated temperature she blamed on 'inhumane' treatment at Newark Liberty International Airport.

This came although Hickox said she never had symptoms and tested negative for Ebola in a preliminary evaluation. She left New Jersey in a private vehicle on Monday.

Locked up: Hickox is pictured inside an isolation tent at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday after she was quarantined following her flight into Newark Liberty International Airport

Fight: She is pictured with prominent New York civil rights attorney Norman Siegel. She argued that she had shown no symptoms of the illness and was being held against her will in a violation of her human rights

On Monday, CDC director Dr Thomas Frieden announced a voluntary quarantine for health workers returning from West Africa, encouraging them to avoid public transport and undergo daily check-ups at home.

In Maine, state officials also announced a quarantine.

'Upon the healthcare workers' return home, we will follow the guidelines set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for medical workers who have been in contact with Ebola patients,' Governor Paul LePage said in a statement.

'Additionally, we will work with the healthcare worker to establish an in-home quarantine protocol to ensure there is no direct contact with other Mainers until the period for potential infection has passed.'

But state officials said later clarified it was only a voluntary quarantine.

'We fully expect individuals to voluntarily comply with an in-home quarantine,' LePage spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett said Monday. 'If an individual is not compliant, the state is prepared to take appropriate action.'

Bennett did not immediately say what 'appropriate action' might be.

At work: The 33-year-old nurse is pictured left during her recent trip to Sierra Leone, where she provided care for Ebola patients with non-profit organization Doctors Without Borders

Heading to quarantine: The nurse (circled in red above) is seen exiting an ambulance in a Hazmat suit outside University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey on Friday

In Fort Kent, Northern Maine Medical Center is ready to care for an Ebola-infected patient, if necessary, a spokeswoman said.

Hickox and her partner, Ted Wilbur, had moved recently to Fort Kent, where Wilbur is a senior nursing student, family members said.

WAGM-TV said Wilbur was given the choice of staying on campus in student housing over the next few weeks or temporarily suspending classes to stay with Hickox in his off-campus home during the quarantine period. A University of Maine system spokesman said he couldn't confirm details of discussions with Wilbur.

Wilbur's uncle Tom Wilbur said that Hickox should be trusted to make good decisions and that medical decisions should be grounded in science and not 'hysteria.'

'She's very much a professional,' he said. 'And she's very bright. And if she were running a fever, she would be the first to take action.'