Jindal: Stop flights from Ebola-stricken countries

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) on Friday called on the Obama administration to shut down all flights to the United States originating from African countries suffering from the Ebola outbreak. 

The Republican governor and potential 2016 presidential candidate criticized the Obama administration for not already taking they step, arguing its arguments defied logic. 

{mosads}“We should stop accepting flights from countries that are Ebola stricken,” Jindal said in a statement released by his office. “Even countries in Africa have cut back on or stopped accepting flights from countries with Ebola outbreaks.”

“President Obama said it was ‘unlikely’ that Ebola would reach the U.S.,” Jindal said. “Well, it has, and we need to protect our people.”

He then criticized the administration for saying it would be counterproductive to shut down flights.

“That statement defies logic. How exactly would stopping the entry of people potentially carrying the Ebola virus be counterproductive? This seems to be an obvious step to protect public health in the United States,” Jindal said. 

A number of countries in Africa not affected by Ebola have limited travel and so have a number of airlines. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, and other international agencies have resisted calls to shut down flights out of the countries. They say limiting air travel would put an added strain on countries that are already ill-equipped to deal with the outbreak. 

“So sealing them off, first off won’t work,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said Friday on Fox News. “Second off, it will backfire because if we can’t get help in there, then we’re not going to be able to stop the outbreak and, ultimately, we will end up at higher risk, not lower risk.”

Republican Thom Tillis, Speaker of the North Carolina House, became the first Senate candidate on Thursday to call for a ban from the three countries worst affected — Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. 

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has said a ban is an idea “we’re going to have to look at” and has called for tougher screening procedures at airports. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to take every precaution, highlighting restrictions from other countries.