Did the first domino just fall in the debate over whether or not countries should impose full travel bans to countries in West Africa affected by the Ebola outbreak? Maybe so:
#Australia stops visas from West African nations affected by #Ebola
— CGTN Africa (@cgtnafrica) October 28, 2014
Australia implements freeze on visas from West African countries affected by #Ebola. http://t.co/lidw7NQJxw
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 28, 2014
But the science!
A whole continent lost without Science! MT @MarkSKrikorian: Australia shuts borders to Ebola-affected countries http://t.co/5HHZ0dzfrC
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) October 28, 2014
Heh. A “whole continent.” But science or not, Australia’s move is pretty popular with U.S. tweeters. Some examples:
https://twitter.com/Kpoplove_21/status/527036900398596097
@cnnbrk Good!!! America should do the same thing!!!! Stop spreading Ebola! Stop caring about feelings or legal crap!! It's killing people!!
— Katrina (@Hurakane21) October 28, 2014
https://twitter.com/kurwathis/status/526986112968187904
https://twitter.com/vergedasneves/status/527042619365277696
And Australia is not just limiting visas. It’s issuing a mandatory quarantine as well. CNN:
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison announced “strong controls” on arrivals from West African countries affected by cases of the deadly disease.
Telling Australia’s parliament during a question time session Monday that his ministry was currently “not processing any application from these (Ebola) affected countries,” he said that the government was also suspending its humanitarian program.
He added that holders of permanent Australian visas based in these countries would be subject to a mandatory, three-week quarantine process prior to their departure. Visitors approved to travel to Australia will also face further screening and followup checks upon arrival.
As for quarantine politics here in the United States, does this really make anyone feel safer?
CDC Sets New Ebola Guidelines, But Can’t Enforce Them http://t.co/wtGrpo9yDs
— Intelligencer (@intelligencer) October 28, 2014
And take a read at what the CDC is saying with its new quarantine protocol. From the WSJ:
The new guidelines, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend that people at high risk of developing Ebola voluntarily isolate themselves from others for 21 days. That is less stringent than recent guidelines from New York and New Jersey, which imposed mandatory quarantines on such people and stoked tensions with the White House.
Let’s end this with a provocative question for National Journal’s Ron Fournier: Does this mean the CDC is proposing voluntary internment camps?
Related:
Full Twitchy coverage of Ebola here.
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