Another U.S. Ebola patient was confirmed last week. Dr. Craig Spencer returned to New York City after treating Ebola patients in Guinea with Doctors without Borders.
There have been nine cases of Ebola in the U.S. and one death. As the cases grow, Florida lawmakers continue to push for a travel ban from Ebola-stricken countries.
Florida lawmakers like Senators Nelson and Rubio, along with Congressman Alan Grayson, are calling for a ban on travel from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Grayson argues that a ban on travel makes sense.
“You know, isn’t it obvious that if Ebola is raging in these three countries and we prevent tourism from those countries, then we are less likely to have an Ebola outbreak in the United States rather than more likely? Isn’t that obvious? Isn’t it just common sense?” says Grayson.
President Obama has disagreed so far with travel bans. He has appointed a so-called Ebola Czar to handle the federal response to any threat from the virus.
Grayson argues that a ban on travel makes sense economically.
“We had to have police officers tracing and tracking almost 100 different people. We had to give an entire emergency ward over to one patient. Think about how much that cost us and how those resources could have been used to fight Ebola in Africa rather than here in the United States," says Grayson .
Florida Governor Rick Scott continues to prepare the state for a response if needed.
