Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have been advocating the cancellation of all visas without prejudice from affected countries until the epidemic is over. Then those that held visas can get them reissued.
Obama said that he wouldn't stop flights to/from Ebola outbreak countries so aid workers can flow freely to help.
Obama said that it was highly unlikely Ebola would find its way in to the US.
Now that Obama is clearly wrong, should he admit his mistake and stop flights between the few countries with the Ebola outbreak and the US? Other countries have done this. Of course, special permits could allow aid workers to fly in to nearby countries and then travel in to Liberia, etc...
There are no direct flights between the US and Liberia or Sierra Leone.
Minimally two foreign carriers, Royal Air Maroc and Brussels Air continue to fly to/from.
One can connect and fly just about anywhere from Casablanca and Brussels. Brussels is a relatively short train ride from London and Paris.
Are you suggesting that the US discontinue all international inbound flights from everywhere?
Given the average wage in this two countries, it's not likely these flights are jammed packed with Liberian and/or Sierra Leone nationals. Passengers are more likely to be medical or journalists by profession and US, Canadian or European citizens.
The feds can easily ban all flights and issue permits as needed......unless the government is pure robotics that run on non artificial inteeligence programs, and only with hard edits.
I think that banning 'flights' is akin to proclaiming that we must 'secure our borders'. Easy to say, but more difficult to actually do.
As noted, the Ebola man of Dallas did not fly here directly from Liberia, but apparently flew first to Belgium, then possibly Washington DC (according to one online paper), and then to Dallas. So addressing 'flights' will not work, unless we stop all flights incoming from beyond our borders.
Now, cancelling Visas from Liberia and the other 'hot spot' countries would be more appropriate. I would support such a move. But, even then, our security from Ebola is not absolute. Our world is certainly 'small' when it comes to air flights.
^ Agreed.
Given the per capita income in these countries, I don't think flights between these countries and the rest of the world are full of Liberian and Serria Leone nationals. So not only would the US need to ban all incoming flights from everywhere, it would have to decline US citizens returning, assuming it was obvious they had recently been in Liberia or Sierra Leone. Relying on passport stamps is foolish.
I have been advocating the cancellation of all visas without prejudice from affected countries until the epidemic is over. Then those that held visas can get them reissued.
Well, you're affected now. I guess we should ban travel from the US.
Can you find a flight going to Liberia? I can't. A president can't stop all flights from a country. Think about the connecting flights, and stay overs in other courtiers. I think you have an over-inflated view of what presidents can and cannot control.
Duncan flew Brussels Air from Liberia to Brussels and then United Airlines from Brussels to Dulles and then connected to DFW.
[quote=PedroMartinez;36719300]Wouldn't he require a visa to enter the US? If so, why not suspend visas to people from those countries. Sure, it wouldn't stop everyone, but it would have stopped this guy.[/QUOTE]
Yes it would have. What matters most is what we do going forward.
I think it would be politically wise to stop flights to impacted areas.
And yes, he can do that easily but chooses not to. I think it would help alleviate fears in the states and keep people out of the ER for the sniffles because they think they have ebola. The media hysteria is going to blow this out of proportion within a month and it's very obvious how bad that would be for our medical community.
Now that's one of the best ideas I've heard in awhile.
I'm sorry, but a third-world hellhole isn't worth American lives, especially with what some of the patients are doing to workers. Killing them? Attacking them?
Forget that!
An entire continent?
Africa is about 4X the size of the USA.
Africa adjoins Asia.
Northern Africa is less than 10 miles by sea to Spain. There are constant ferries between Spain and North Africa.
Do you propose to cut off Asia and Europe, too, just in case?
Maybe the rest of the world should cut off the US ?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
