Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says President Trump’s travel ban on Europe will efficiently reduce the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
During testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Dr. Fauci said Trump’s travel ban on European nations will stop the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.
“Dr. Fauci, will a travel ban like this have a significant impact on reducing the community spread of the coronavirus, that is cases that are already in the United States?” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) asked.
Dr. Fauci said in response:
Yes … the answer is a firm yes. That was the reason, the rationale, the public health rationale [for] why that recommendation was made because if you look at the numbers, it’s very clear that 70 percent of the new infections in the world are coming from that region, from Europe, exceeding other countries. [Emphasis added]
Of the 35 or more states that have infections, 30 of them now … have gotten them from a travel-related case from that region. So it was pretty compelling that we needed to turn off the source from that region. [Emphasis added]
Dr. Fauci’s remarks come as House and Senate Democrats seek to stop Trump from effectively implementing travel bans to stop the spread of the coronavirus. As Breitbart News reported, 220 House Democrats have signed onto the “No Ban Act” to stop the president from being able to executively issue travel bans.
Under the Democrats’ plan, travelers directly from Wuhan, China, and Milan, Italy would be allowed to continue entering the U.S. via flights against the advice of leading medical experts.
There have been 1,422 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 38 deaths in the U.S.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.