In the wake of the first diagnosed case of Ebola in the United States, North Carolina state House Speaker Thom Tillis called on President Obama to issue a travel ban on counties with Ebola outbreaks.
“Keeping the American people safe must be our nation’s top priority, and the White House should immediately ban travel from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea to contain the spread of Ebola,” Tillis, the Republican nominee running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), said.
Tillis questioned why the Obama administration would continue to allow travel from Ebola hot zone countries to the United States given the risk highlighted by a man diagnosed with the virus this week in Dallas.
“It makes absolutely no sense to risk more cases of Ebola in the United States by continuing to allow travel from Ebola-inflicted countries. It’s time for Washington to take action to protect the American people,” he added.
This week the Centers for Disease control confirmed that Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national who had recently traveled from Liberia to Dallas, TX, had the deadly disease.
In the ensuing days, officials have worked to identify and monitor people who may have come in contact with Duncan and could be at risk of contracting the virus.
To date, the Obama administration has not imposed new travel restrictions and stressed that the disease is not easily transmitted.
Recent polls have Hagan with a slight lead over Tills.