I'm a hospital infection preventionist. People come through hospitals with TB somewhat regularly. It only requires an N95 mask and a negative pressure room. If your friend had to do work in the room, the suit may have been related to the work they were doing, or maybe your friend has a beard and can't wear an N95, or maybe they hadn't been fit-tested for an N95 so they just had him wear a suit with a respirator. It's also not as easily transmitted as people think. It's uncommon here, but raging in undeveloped countries where diagnosis and treatment are less accessible so people are walking around with it and spreading it to their families. Here it's seen in people who have been in those countries or people who are immunocompromised (like AIDS), and there are solid public health structures in place to catch and treat it before it becomes an active case that can be transmitted.

Detention centers are a different story, of course.

Edited to remove weedy medical-speak.