At a cabinet meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated unequivocally that the United States must stop any cases of Ebola from entering the country, citing an ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The outbreak has resulted in a suspected 220 deaths and 900 cases, according to figures referenced by Rubio.
"We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States," Rubio told President Donald Trump during the meeting. He described a coordinated U.S. effort involving multiple agencies to contain the situation where it is occurring.
Rubio added that "the State Department and other agencies represented here, the Centers for Disease Control, HHS, others, are working very, very hard to contain this crisis to the countries where it’s currently located, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and so we surged assistance to make sure that it is being contained there."
As part of U.S. measures, the Centers for Disease Control last week imposed a 30-day entry restriction on travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan within the previous 21 days. The restriction applies to all travelers who meet that travel history criterion, including lawful permanent residents, commonly referred to as Green Card holders.
In addition to the entry restriction, U.S. authorities are conducting screenings of people traveling from those countries at three U.S. airports. The combination of entry limits and airport screenings represents the principal steps described by officials to reduce the risk of importation.
The statements at the cabinet meeting underline a U.S. focus on stopping cross-border transmission into the United States while directing resources to contain the outbreak in the affected region. Officials cited the surge of assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of that dual approach: preventing spread abroad and limiting the virus’ movement into the U.S.
Context note: The reporting reflects the figures and measures described by officials at the cabinet meeting and the actions announced by the Centers for Disease Control. Where information in the public briefings was limited, this account presents those details without extrapolation.