White House not planning travel ban for Ebola countries

The White House is not considering instituting a travel ban from countries battling outbreaks of the Ebola virus, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Friday.

The administration has heard new calls for a travel ban from Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.) and others since the first case of Ebola in the United States was announced earlier this week.

{mosads}Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Earnest touted a multi-layer screening system in African airports for ensuring that passengers exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms don’t board planes.

He said pilots, flight attendants, customs officials and border patrol agents have been given training on how to look for signs of Ebola.

Washington is on edge as a D.C. hospital treats a patient who developed symptoms after a trip to Nigeria. That case is not confirmed, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that 13 of the 14 people it tested for Ebola this year — not including the D.C. case — have come up negative.

Jindal criticized the White House for not already instituting a travel ban in his statement.

The one confirmed Ebola patient remains in a Dallas hospital for treatment. He caught the virus after coming back from Liberia, where he came in contact with Ebola patients. 

“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.”