Republicans ramp up pressure for travel ban on citizens of nations affected by Ebola

[candelista]

Source: Yahoo News

WASHINGTON — As unsettling news about a second Dallas nurse contracting Ebola unspooled on Wednesday, driving anxiety in the U.S. higher, Republicans increased their calls for restrictions on travel to the U.S. from West Africa.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement late Wednesday that “a temporary ban on travel to the United States from countries afflicted with the virus is something that the president should absolutely consider."
*
On Thursday morning, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a potential 2016 presidential candidate, laid out — with more specifics than most other politicians — what kind of travel restrictions he would like to see.

“The State Department should institute a temporary ban on new visas to non-U.S. nationals seeking to travel to the United States from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea,” Rubio wrote in an op-ed at CNN.com. “Since March 1, 2014, over 6,000 visas have been issued to nationals of these countries. Foreign health workers coming to the United States to be trained should be exempted, provided they pass screening efforts. However, until we have a better handle on the problem, we need to prevent mass travel from the countries most affected. We should also ensure that Customs and Border Patrol agents at airports beyond the current transit points have the equipment and training to deal with potential cases. And additional travel restrictions should not be ruled out.”



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-ramp-up-pressure-for-travel-ban-on-citizens-of-ebola-stricken-nations-142259463.html

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This is actually a good idea (despite the source), which should already have been implemented.

[upaloopa]

1. So now Ebola has turned into a political

football.

Did I miss today's hearing on poverty and unemployment?
How about today's hearing on how low wages and unemployment are hurting corporation's bottom lines due to low consumer spending? Did I miss that hearing too?
I did miss the Ebola hearing because I don't live in fear.

[JoePhilly]

2. Its a dumb idea.

And Rubio is a crackpot.

[candelista]

3. Ipse dixit.

[Iamthetruth]

36. Why is it a dumb idea

Just curious why it's ok for some countries to do it but not the US.

[JoePhilly]

37. We aren't other countries.

We have what, 2 cases?

If 10 people from Duncan's plane to the US got Ebola, then maybe.

So far the only people he infected were medical staff, and only 2.

There is no reason for all the panic.

[Iamthetruth]

38. So we wait for an outbreak

That makes sense.

[JoePhilly]

39. not happening.

There isn't going to be an outbreak.

[Iamthetruth]

43. Well I'm not willing to bet my families life on that

I fly a lot, thankfully not commercially too often.

[JoePhilly]

44. You also aren't President.

[Iamthetruth]

45. What the hell does that have to do with it

I'm not a hero worshiper and I'm not a celebrity chaser, I dint look at this President or any President and think they are smarter than I am. It's the wrong decision.

[valerief]

4. The more voters they frighten, the more voters they frighten away from the polls. nt

[candelista]

16. You will support this idea, if and when Obama adopts it.

[JoePhilly]

40. Have the right wing buy duct-tape and plastic wrap ...

... they'll be fine.

[yellowcanine]

5. Wait - I thought it was Ebola Terra-ists from Mexico we had to worry about.

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/14/3579690/scott-brown-immigration-2/


I am so confused.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. And don't think about landing in Virginia.

VA Lawmakers Seek Ebola Travel Bans

In light of a reported thirteen African nations which have banned travel from Ebola prevalent areas to their countries, and reports of airlines which have suspended commercial flights to such areas, Delegate Robert G. “Bob” Marshall (R-13), Senator Richard Black (R-13) and Delegate Mark Berg, MD (R-29) sent a letter (see attached) urging Governor Terry McAuliffe to seek similar bans for Virginia’s airports and seaports.

The lawmakers wrote Governor McAuliffe:
“We strongly urge you to use the police powers of Virginia to protect our citizens and residents from exposure to Ebola even if it means a timely court challenge against passenger airlines or the federal government if they continue to permit entry into Virginia of passengers flying from Ebola affected areas. We also ask you to take similar measures to protect our seaports. Indeed, Government travel restrictions were used to limit Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).”

[TwilightGardener]

7. The assumption was, we can handle it! It won't affect Americans! It will be contained

and treated, and we'll show the world how we've GOT THIS! Now we need to admit we fucked it up, and can't handle it. No more people from Liberia, etc. unless it's absolutely necessary--and they should be tested and quarantined upon arrival, for at least a little while. I mean, fuck--we're closing schools, airline stocks are tanking, two ICU nurses are in danger, because we were afraid of offending Liberians?

[candelista]

10. Yes.

Good posts on this issue, TG.

[Habibi]

34. Who says it's because "we were afraid of offending Liberians"?

[xocet]

8. Does this mean that they will necessarily confine Rick Perry to Texas? n/t

[JoePhilly]

41. Now that's a plan!!!

[Pantagruelsmember]

11. Viruses don't respect travel bans

and travelers with already issued visas will arrive from countries other than those banned. It's a 21 day incubation period, that's problematic. Education is needed and then extreme vigilance absent fear and superstition.
Uh-Oh, we're deep doo doo!
Somehow though a travel ban on anyone flying in or out of Texas does appeal to me.

[candelista]

13. Fallacy

Banning ppl with a recent Liberian stamp on their passport would help, though it would not be a total solution.

[tridim]

12. Another idiotic suggestion from GOP idiots. nt

[candelista]

14. Why is it "idiotic"?

Besides the fact that it comes from Republicans?

[Shemp Howard]

15. I agree with you, candelista.

It is only common sense to quarantine the affected areas in Africa. Or, at a minimum, quarantine everyone who arrives from those areas for at least 21 days.

Those who disagree make one of two arguments.

Either they say that screening at airports will be enough, or they say that a quarantine will hinder efforts to fight the disease in Africa.

To the first point, no screening can be 100% effective. It is easy to mask a fever. And people will lie on forms. Of course, no quarantine can be 100% effective either. But a quarantine is certainly much more effective than a quick one-minute screening.

To the second point, a quarantine need not be total. There is no "rule" that states that supplies cannot still be flown into a quarantined area. One can carefully monitor personnel on a government supply flight. Not so with a commercial flight.

I wish the President would reconsider his position on this. The situation is not, at this point, critical. But it is also no longer theoretical.

[get the red out]

20. Excellent post

Thank you.

[840high]

21. That makes two of us that agree.

[underpants]

27. 3 cases not including the people already cured

That is a good post but let's not loose sight that we only have 3 cases.

[Psephos]

30. When there are "only 3 cases" containment is still possible.

When there are 33 cases it's probably not.

[still_one]

17. This should come as no surprise, and brings back the republicans view of HIV, "that they deserved

what they got".

This only punctuates the anti-science and bigoted view that has become the republican party today

[candelista]

18. Sorry, I don't understand your post.

What is the relation between this and HIV?

[yeoman6987]

33. Well for sure if some one comes to the USA

Knowing or thinking they have Ebola. They should be charged. They are basically committing manslaughter.

[dembotoz]

19. years ago my mom worked for the international dept of a large company

the reps had 2 passports.
1 to go to isreal
1 to go to arab countries

No offending stamps went on the wrong passport.
Folks are not stupid.
they will find a way around the ban.
we will just loose the ability to track them in case infection occurs.

[Travis_0004]

22. Thats still somewhat common

Also, you can request isreal not to stamp your passport.

But very few people have two passports, and even if 1% of people get around restrictions that doesnt make it a bad idea.

[SoapBox]

25. Some might find a way (with enough money)...

But the masses won't be able to do this.

Stop the travel until we're 100% sure there is procedure to stop this disease from spreading here.

[LiberalArkie]

23. Does this include citizens of the U.S.?

[kestrel91316]

29. No. US passport holders need not apply for visas to travel back into their own country.

[SoapBox]

24. I hate PukeBaggers...but I agree with this.

Policy and procedure, are not yet in place, for handling more and more and more cases...

The idiot nurse, climbs on a plane with about 130 others...because her fever was not high enough! ANY fever, for any reason, should keep people off of aircraft.

[Psephos]

31. Remember, though, she was cleared to travel by CDC.

And that was after she called them, multiple times.

The rot comes from above.

[underpants]

26. Affected nations? WHAT ABOUT CLEVELAND AND DALLAS???

Jesus Christ they are some dumbass reactionary tools of their own propoganda

[kestrel91316]

28. I actually do support a temporary ban on US visas for people originating in the 3 affected African

nations. But that's a far cry from the utterly insane demands for shutting borders and ending flights.

It allows Americans to travel to and from if they are providing aid or doing journalism or diplomacy. I'd like to think they wouldn't be going there for any other reasons for the forseeable future.

Temperature screening and questionnaires are completely inadequate, IMHO. Once we have that very hopeful-sounding vaccine, we can mop this thing up and get back to our regularly scheduled exploitation of impoverished foreigners.

[JCMach1]

32. Exactly, put the visas on hold for those countries... the temperature taking

is a joke as many Africans enter the country through airports where there are large communities... Miami, Dallas, Minneapolis, and a few other airports THAT ARE NOT ON THE SCREENING list but get international flights from hubs in Europe.

There are few direct flights from the affected regions.

[Shoonra]

35. Also: Isolate the States in which there are ebola cases.

Besides isolating and quarantining countries with ebola (evidently, so long as those countries are black -- there are ebola cases in Spain, France, Germany, and the UK and Republicans haven't talked about barring flights to those places), we should also isolate and quarantine States of the Union with ebola outbreaks -- for example, cut off all flights, highway and railway traffic with Texas. Rick Perry has repeatedly wished for a fence on the Texas border, so we'll put one up (but not where Perry wanted it).

[hollowdweller]

42. I can't see this doing anything unless we ban the return of US citizens who get sick overseas.

I mean if the intention is really to protect the US we should ban the return of sick US citizens or any US citizen who has traveled to one of the countries.

Also should probably really quarrantine any people who have contact with sick people in the US even if they aren't showing symptoms if they are really serious about it.