06/09/26 03:23:00
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06/09 15:21 CDT US urges Europe to step up travel measures to prevent spread of
Ebola from Africa
US urges Europe to step up travel measures to prevent spread of Ebola from
Africa
By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) --- The Trump administration is telling European nations that
they need to step up their travel restrictions for people coming to the
continent from Ebola-hit countries in Africa, hinting that failure to do so may
result in increased U.S. regulations on travel from Europe, including for the
World Cup soccer tournament.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday called European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen to convey the concerns and "to discuss U.S. and European
coordination and response efforts to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and Uganda," the State Department said in a statement.
"The department's highest priority and focus remain protecting the health of
the American people and preventing this Ebola outbreak from reaching our
shores," it said.
A State Department official was more blunt, saying the U.S. "has stepped up" to
confront the outbreak and "now the world must do more to step up as well."
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private call
between Rubio and von der Leyen, said it's time for action and that without it,
transatlantic travel could be affected.
The official said the U.S. wants to see action that includes financial
contributions to combat the disease and "commonsense restrictions on travel
from the affected area."
The World Cup tournament opens Thursday in Mexico and unfolds over nearly six
weeks, with the United States hosting most of the games.
The Trump administration has banned travelers who have been in one of the
affected countries in the previous three weeks from entering the United States
and is establishing quarantine procedures for affected American citizens
returning home from those places.
There are relatively few direct flights between Africa and the United States
per day but more than 300 direct daily flights between Europe and the United
States.
The U.S. says it has contributed more than $200 million to efforts to end the
outbreak in Congo and Uganda since it was first confirmed last month.
The European Union announced earlier Tuesday that it was boosting its Ebola
response funding by 16.5 million euros ($19 million) on top of 15 million euros
($17.3 million) related to the outbreak that it contributed last month. The
European Union delegation in Washington had no immediate response about Rubio's
call with von der Leyen.
Democrats assailed Rubio during congressional hearings last week about the
dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the impact
that may have had on the Ebola response. Rubio insisted that early detection
programs have been rolled into health deals struck with African countries and
that the U.S. "response has been very quick."
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