In Ebola Fight, Perry Pushes West Africa Travel Ban

by Edgar Walters
Oct. 17, 2014
54Comments

Gov. Rick Perry said Friday that to help combat the spread of the Ebola virus, he has asked President Obama to ban air travel from West African countries fighting Ebola outbreaks, with exceptions allowed for aid workers.

Speaking at a news conference at the state Capitol, Perry also discussed a new task force's recommendations for fighting the virus in Texas, saying they were necessary to better respond in case of future infections.

“We must admit, along the way, we have seen ample opportunity for improvement, from the [federal Centers for Disease Control] all the way to the hospital,” he ...

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Comments (54)

October 17 @ 12:52 p.m.

William Ardis

While he's at it, maybe governor oops should ask for a travel ban to be place on texas (you know, not let anyone out of the state). That way anyone exposed here won't take it to other parts of the nation.
October 17 @ 12:56 p.m.

Jeff Kapp via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Of course he did. He already knows the President's stance, and he had to say to opposite. The fear mongering never ends, and it seems to extend to every media outlet in attempts to get ratings.
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October 17 @ 12:57 p.m.

Don Gadberry via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Duncan took 4 leg flights to get from Liberia to DFW. There are almost no direct flights from the African ebola affected nations to the USA.
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October 17 @ 1:01 p.m.

Lisa Crider via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Perhaps rather than proposing a travel ban, he should look at the policies HE'S pushed that have pushed the Texas Health Care System into near crisis.
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October 17 @ 1:03 p.m.

Bambi Clark via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Came back to politicize Ebola some more.
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October 17 @ 1:07 p.m.

Bill Blackmon via Texas Tribune on Facebook

next up: Abbott files a suit against Africa and the Tea Party calls for the Death Penalty for any non-Texan who dies from Ebola in Texas.
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October 17 @ 1:07 p.m.

Wilkins Micawber

The political posturing of Rick Perry, and the eagerness with which he seeks to exploit this scare for his own ambition is enough to make me vomit. But, then, Perry himself is just a puke.
October 17 @ 1:11 p.m.

Richard Carroll via Texas Tribune on Facebook

You people are the most emotional, hate-filled people under the sun. All it takes is to say "Perry," and you can't wait to lay down the vitriol. It's like you can't even control yourselves. It's surprising such a "level-headed, common sense" bunch doesn't see that. You people are in-hate; you've left logic at the door; you're emotional, and entirely irrational.
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October 17 @ 1:11 p.m.

Rusty Lee via Texas Tribune on Facebook

I just Cant !.
Fahget about it
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October 17 @ 1:12 p.m.

Mary Morrison via Texas Tribune on Facebook

If the President had invoked a travel ban, Perry would have wanted it to come down immediately. Perry's an idiot, glasses and all. He loves the tv exposure, and he will try to get all of it that he can.
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October 17 @ 1:18 p.m.

David M. Davenport via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Confirming he's running for President in 2016.
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October 17 @ 1:18 p.m.

Case Mc via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Yep the mere mention of his name makes me nauseated.
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October 17 @ 1:19 p.m.

Case Mc via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Take your meds, Richard Carroll it will all be ok then.
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October 17 @ 1:22 p.m.

Polly Hearn via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Be afraid.. be very afraid, of the present Governor of Texas.
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October 17 @ 1:22 p.m.

Celeste Padilla via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Of course he does. Against all the experts advice. Because he's a damn idiot.
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October 17 @ 1:23 p.m.

Craig Steiger via Texas Tribune on Facebook

I think Rick should be on a travel ban until the situation with ebola and he "secures the boarder". No more trips to Europe or Iowa until these pressing issues are resolved. Oh yea, no playing gold either!
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October 17 @ 1:32 p.m.

Jimmie Randall via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Thank you Dr. Perry.
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October 17 @ 1:37 p.m.

D W

not sure what a travel ban would so that hasnt already been done. as it is, the airlines them selves have just ended all air transport to these countries. not that it will matter in the end, as borders of countries in Africa are pretty darn porous, that happens that way when you have jungles. course even if we could stop people from moving around, we probably cant stop the animals that are the source of the disease to begin with.

course i really want to know where the money for these Texas based center are going to come from? i thought Texas was broke, isnt that we are told as to why we dont have public roads, or better schools/ we just cant afford them
October 17 @ 1:41 p.m.

Carl Fant via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Is his time up yet? I'm so ready for him to go.
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October 17 @ 1:42 p.m.

Cam Ray via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Can we just ban Rick Perry instead?
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October 17 @ 1:47 p.m.

Justin Kugler via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Perry is clearly grandstanding and pandering to fear. Let's not forget that the CDC is primarily an advisory organization. Under our system of government, states are primarily responsible for managing public health.

So, people are right in questioning Rick Perry when he engages in sloganeering to raise his national profile instead of proposing effective measures that the state public health agencies & local responders can actually carry out.
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October 17 @ 2 p.m.

Cheryl Mutschler via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Any reason to stand before a camera. Perry didn't know what the hell he was talking about on day one when he praised tx preb and is even deeper in his own ignorance now. Reminder gov douche, duncan originated from Liberia but came to the US from Brussels. He could of just as easily took the rail to Paris, Germany, Italy or elsewhere and come over the pond.
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October 17 @ 2:01 p.m.

Susan Ray via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Look over there at those dirty furriners! Don't pay any attention to the hospital screwups that we are sweeping under the rug.
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October 17 @ 2:09 p.m.

Daniel Astalas via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Moron
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October 17 @ 2:11 p.m.

Shannon Nelson via Texas Tribune on Facebook

And folks , this exactly why we DON'T need or want Perry as President !!
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October 17 @ 2:22 p.m.

Mike Thompson via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Is there a ban to keep him away from Texas?!?
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October 17 @ 2:24 p.m.

Jason Bradberry via Texas Tribune on Facebook

I think we need to put Rick on the front lines of something instead of putting him on the news.
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October 17 @ 2:27 p.m.

Gary T Harlow via Texas Tribune on Facebook

PLEASE send that moron back to school to study public health policy.
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October 17 @ 2:30 p.m.

Erik Noriega via Texas Tribune on Facebook

I don't know guys... he looks so smart now with glasses. Maybe we should listen to him.
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October 17 @ 2:34 p.m.

David Cargill via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Something else Perry fail on! Such a loser.
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October 17 @ 2:36 p.m.

Pepper Roberts via Texas Tribune on Facebook

If this doesn't prove that He is a complete Idiot ... I just don't know what else would.
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October 17 @ 2:38 p.m.

Martin Canizales via Texas Tribune on Facebook

SO, imagine he wants to return to USA from Africa and, US do not leave him to land... what he or anyone would do? TO LIE! that's the problem with ban!
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October 17 @ 2:38 p.m.

Sharon Cade Davis via Texas Tribune on Facebook

But under Perry's administration, the Texas Prison System has recruited and hired workers from Nigeria as correctional officers for Texas prisons. This seems the height of hypocrisy to me. The reason they are having to recruit out of country is because the state is unable to find enough qualified people willing to work for such low wages and in such poor conditions.
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October 17 @ 2:41 p.m.

Theresa Walter Mostaffa via Texas Tribune on Facebook

I think we should start with a travel ban in Texas. Makes just as much sense to me.
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October 17 @ 3:08 p.m.

Gale Greenleaf via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Why didn't Perry intervene with the Dallas hospital and the health department as soon as things went wrong? Or even before? Blame HIM.
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October 17 @ 3:19 p.m.

Tim Jones via Texas Tribune on Facebook

GENIUS RICK PERRY would only be causing infected people to go through other countries. We would lose track of them in, say, MEXICO and they would INFECT PEOPLE THERE while trying to get here. Then there would be a STAMPEDE of people crossing the border to get up here to be taken care of.
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October 17 @ 4:14 p.m.

Herve Abrams via Texas Tribune on Facebook

If Perry advocates for it, it's the wrong thing to do.
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October 17 @ 4:18 p.m.

Jerry Andrews

Or course the wingnuts want to ban travel. This might make sense if there was a single flight from West Africa to the US, but, alas, there are none. It is much more complex to actually address a problem than to simply shout "ban it."

Yes, we should address the issue, but, I don't think Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Danni Geob "Patrick" have the authority to tell foreign airlines they can't fly to West Africa. It would be great if they would agree to that, but, we lack jurisdiction to force that. They fly to W. Africa, bring passengers out to numerous cities in Europe and the middle east. From there they are free to change airlines and go anywhere in the world.

So here's a thought, stop the silly "we're tough Texans" act and come up with some actual solutions. Or, will you as usual just use this tragedy for political gain?
October 17 @ 4:57 p.m.

Alan Frye via Texas Tribune on Facebook

North Texas flight ban?
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October 17 @ 5:24 p.m.

Erica Rodriguez via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Rick Perry couldn't fix a jig saw puzzle. Ebola is already here dumb ass.
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October 17 @ 6:45 p.m.

Phil Martin via Texas Tribune on Facebook

What an idiot, I guess he hasn't figured out we are a global society in 2014.... I guess we should have a travel ban to Texas since there are two cases here, what ya say rick.
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October 17 @ 7:02 p.m.

Aliamanu Al McCoolchek via Texas Tribune on Facebook

If I catch Ebola, pRick Perry is the 1st person I'm going to visit!
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October 17 @ 8:31 p.m.

Lauren Gehman via Texas Tribune on Facebook

This would only work if you ban all flights and migration in and out of the US from all countries. To think that someone won't go through another country is ridiculous.
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October 17 @ 9:02 p.m.

Penny Sowell via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Dumba**!!!!!!
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October 18 @ 12:23 a.m.

Anthony J Rodarte via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Here come the travel bans, one day y'all remember when...... morpho.com
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October 18 @ 9:21 a.m.

Alexandra Bonifield via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Shut up, you idiot. Nobody with any sense believes you.
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October 18 @ 11:05 a.m.

Jake Billingsley via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Cuba has more doctors and nurses than any other nation treating the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. Nearly 500 Cuban nurses and doctors are on the front lines against Ebola in West Africa. Currently, Cuba has 50,731 health professionals serving in 66 countries, 65% of them women.
Since its founding in 2005, Cuba’s ELAM ( Medical School of Latin America ) has graduated 23,000 doctors, with 10,000 more in the pipeline, making it the world’s largest medical school. Graduates come from 83 countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia; and enrollment has grown to 123 nations. More than half the students are young women. The diverse study body represents over 100 ethnic groups.
Maybe the mighty USA could learn a lesson from a tiny country which still suffers from a trade embargo against it by the USA.
If Rick Perry was a real man, he would be organizing Texas medical professionals to assist on the front lines in Africa rather than taking the attitude that its not our problem. As Governor, he should have shown more leadership in injuring that all medical facilities in Texas were trained in proper protocols, but then that would go counter to his dogma of deregulation.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/12/cuba-leads-fights-against-ebola-africa
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October 18 @ 2:19 p.m.

Debbie Mason via Texas Tribune on Facebook

We need to ban all people from entering TX or leaving TX seeing TX has Ebola. We would not want to infect the rest of the states or world. Now would we Gov Perry!
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October 19 @ 9:24 a.m.

Fluffard McGillicutty via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Mr less government has fallen once again
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October 19 @ 10:20 a.m.

Tempeste Wallace via Texas Tribune on Facebook

NO. He's proposing the exact OPPOSITE of what we should be doing! They need MORE to fight Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leonne. Not less! We should be sending MORE flights that way filled with supplies and medical personnel so we can STOP the Ebola crises before it spreads more than it already has!
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October 19 @ 10:42 a.m.

Mary Mahurin via Texas Tribune on Facebook

You would think the governor would address a plan to improve conditions in the TX health care facilities to protect the workers and the public once he decided to return from his European vacation. Texans better bring there own PPE when seeking care at hospitals in TX.
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October 19 @ 12:21 p.m.

Lisa Gail via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Oh Rick Perry. As there are no direct flights from Africa to the US how are you going to accomplish this? What a fool...
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October 19 @ 4:58 p.m.

Les Stevens via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Still trying to look more "presidential." My god.
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October 19 @ 5:57 p.m.

Matthew Cowan via Texas Tribune on Facebook

LOL Well this reflect the CDC well!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHa-AvLk4no&app=desktop
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