It seems as though the national health officials are beginning to take more severe measures when it comes to ensuring that the Ebola virus is contained from spreading to other countries. Some however, are still unsure of how effective they will be.
On Tuesday the Department of Homeland Security announced that all travelers from West African states that have been affected by the outbreak will be filtered through any of five U.S. airports. Each of these airports will have more advanced screening for its passengers beginning on Wednesday. These states include Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
These new screening include checking temperatures and asking more extensive questions about exposure to Ebola.
Enhanced procedure when it comes to dealing with Ebola was already started at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Saturday Oct. 11. On Thursday Oct. 16 it will expand to Dulles in Washington, O'Hare in Chicago, Newark in New Jersey and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
Roughly 150 individuals from West Africa arrive into any one of those airports on any given day. These increased security tactics will screen roughly 94 percent of them.
Some have said that they would like to see even more restrictions from health officials and airlines, even going so far as to cut off travel to those areas of the world that have been affected by the often deadly disease.
"President Obama has a real solution at his disposal under the current law and can use it at any time to temporarily ban foreign nationals from entering the United States from Ebola-ravaged countries," said Re. Bob Goodlatte, head of the House Judiciary Committee.
That said, there are many officials who do not believe that banning travel to and from West Africa is the best solution at this time.
"As agreed upon by experts in both the public health and transportation communities, issuing a blanket travel ban would not only be counterproductive, but it would also irresponsibly impede much-needed supplies and relief to the countries that need it most," said Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.
Jeh Johnson, secretary of Homeland Security, agrees that the restrictions fit the amount of risk associated with the situation.
"We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restriction with minimal travel disruption," Johnson said, per USA Today. "If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking as needed."
Funneling those entering from the hurt area is believed to be the proper solution for now, but President Obama and other health officials say that they are monitoring the situation carefully to determine if there is a need for a greater response in the coming weeks.
