Rep. Capito: President Must Enact Ebola Travel Ban

Statement

U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) issued the following statement today calling on the president to immediately ban travel from Ebola-stricken nations in West Africa:

"President Obama must act immediately to temporarily ban all travel to the United States from Ebola-stricken nations in West Africa.

"One month ago, the president told the nation that the odds of an Ebola outbreak in the United States were extremely low. Since that time, Thomas Eric Duncan traveled from West Africa to Texas, where he was diagnosed with Ebola and later died.

"At least two health care workers who treated Mr. Duncan have been infected, and one reportedly flew on a commercial airline along with 132 other passengers just hours before she was hospitalized and diagnosed with Ebola. The Centers for Disease Control now says the patient should not have flown after having an elevated temperature after treating Duncan. As we have seen in recent weeks, just a handful of travelers infected with Ebola have the potential to spread this gruesome illness throughout the United States.

"Our hearts go out to the nations suffering from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and the United States should provide humanitarian aid to help local governments and medical professionals treat and contain Ebola. I call on the president to protect the American people from this devastating disease by banning travel to the United States from West Africa for the duration of this crisis and establishing concrete protocols to stop the transmission of Ebola within our country."

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