Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Calls for Immediate Measures to Stop Further Spread of Ebola in U.S.

Press Release

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) today called for the immediate suspension of visas for citizens of Ebola-stricken West African nations as well as flights from those countries into the US.

"Recent mistakes have revealed that the U.S. public health system is clearly not fully prepared to combat Ebola and prevent its spread in the United States," said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. "We cannot stand idly by while this heart-breaking epidemic rages in West Africa, already claiming thousands of lives. There are immediate steps we must take to ensure the safety of the American people, and ensure we can maintain our support for West African nations that are overwhelmed by this crisis. First, we need to immediately suspend commercial flights from the West African nations into the United States, as well as suspend visas for their passport holders, until we can ensure that our health facilities are adequately prepared. This temporary suspension will give our healthcare leaders the time and space to adequately prepare our health system to handle Ebola cases, and help us to stay focused on the prevention efforts in West Africa."

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard also voiced concerns about the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) handling of the few cases that have already struck in the U.S., saying, "The CDC and some healthcare providers have already mishandled several Ebola cases. We cannot afford more mistakes. We should be taking every precaution to protect our people, beginning with our healthcare workers.

"Just look at the domino effect that just one sick person from West Africa has had. We're still scrambling to deal with that episode. Just imagine the chaos that will occur if even more such sick individuals enter the country.

"Ultimately, we need to be able to focus on our efforts to contain the spread of Ebola in West Africa. I strongly support the steps we've already taken to provide assistance overseas, but if we are increasingly distracted by Ebola cases in the U.S., we cannot fully focus on the heart of where this epidemic has struck. The impact and spread of Ebola thus far is absolutely devastating; we need to take every proactive measure we have available to stop this virus in its tracks.

"Claims that we need to keep commercial flights open for healthcare workers and supplies to be ferried into these countries are absurd. During this period, essential personnel and equipment can be transported in and out of these countries via charter flights," Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard added.

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