Rep. Michael Burgess, Texas Republican, said the country could have done a better job looking at people requesting travel documents and visas from areas heavily affected by the Ebola virus.
“You know, British Airways suspended flights this summer. Air France suspended flights. Now, we don’t have direct flights from Africa, but I think we could have done a better job as far as looking at people who were requesting travel documents and visas,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed a second case of the Ebola virus in the country. A female nurse tested positive for the disease in Texas, officials announced Sunday. She had attended to another patient hospitalized for Ebola who later died.
“At least temporarily, you may need a longer period of time before someone applies for and receives a visa to come to this country from those areas that have been so badly affected — not that you’re going to shut them off, but, you know, you do pause things for a little bit to allow us on our side, this side of the health care spectrum, time to adjust,” Mr. Burgess said.
The World Health Organization said Friday that more than 4,000 people have died in the ongoing Ebola epidemic, the vast majority in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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