More than 18,000 nurses in California are planning to strike for two days beginning Tuesday over concerns about how prepared they are to deal with Ebola. According to Bloomberg News, the strike would affect 21 hospital and 65 clinics, all owned by Kaiser Permanente.

A spokesperson for the nurses union said Thursday that Kaiser, “continued to stonewall on dozens of proposals to improve patient care standards, as well as refusing to address the concern of Kaiser RNs about Ebola safety protocols and protective equipment, refusing to even answer questions by the RNs.”

Despite the strike, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, Kaiser facilities are planning to remain open, including emergency and urgent care departments.

In addition, the director of Kaiser’s Northern California hospitals told the San Francisco Business Times, “Our infectious disease experts have fully reviewed the new CDC recommendations, and Kaiser Permanente is augmenting our personal protective equipment to meet or exceed these national standards.”

[Photo via Associated Press]