Tillis, Hagan address Ebola threat

Both U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan and state House Speaker Thom Tillis have made statements about what should be done regarding the Ebola outbreak and preventing its spread in the United States.

Posted 4:41 p.m. Oct 3, 2014 — Updated 5:40 p.m. Oct 3, 2014

Mark Binker

RALEIGH, N.C. — As health officials move to head off an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the United States, both Republican state House Speaker Thom Tillis and Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan offered their policy prescriptions.

Tillis and Hagan, along with Libertarian Sean Haugh, are running for the U.S. Senate seat up for election this fall.

Responding to the fact the first U.S. Ebola case had been identified in Texas, Tillis on Thursday called for travel restrictions on those coming from certain countries

“Keeping the American people safe must be our nation’s top priority, and the White House should immediately ban travel from from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to contain the spread of Ebola," Tillis said in a statement. "It makes absolutely no sense to risk more cases of Ebola in the United States by continuing to allow travel from Ebola-inflicted countries. It’s time for Washington to take action to protect the American people."

Hagan said that such restrictions are just one tool the United States should consider using.

"Kay believes the U.S. should work together with the international community to take a wide range of steps to fight this epidemic and prevent it from spreading," said Hagan spokeswoman Sadie Weiner. "She is proud of the work that so many brave American doctors, nurses, troops and volunteers are doing to combat this crisis. Travel restrictions may be one tool we can use, but they should be part of a broader strategy because simply sealing the borders to these countries won't make the crisis go away."

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