The world continues to grapple with an Ebola outbreak that has spilled out of Africa, affecting areas in the United States and Spain. For the prime minister of St. Lucia, the solution seems to close off its borders to anyone arriving from African nations currently distraught with the virus.
The Associated Press reports the following:
"Prime Minister Kenny Anthony announced Wednesday that visitors from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone may not enter St. Lucia until further notice.
Anthony says the travel ban is necessary because St. Lucia is a poor, small country that does not have the capacity "to manage any crisis that lands on our doorstep."
Those not coming from the affected countries but instead arriving from nearby nations such as Nigeria will have to prove their health before entering the Caribbean island. The AP states a "recent medical certificate" will be required for those coming to St. Lucia from countries such as Nigeria.
Now the idea of banning passengers coming from west Africa has been bandied about by some American government officials. CNN's Sanjay Gupta cautions that a straight ban may do more harm than good for the U.S.
Here is what Dr. Gupta had to say via Mediaite: "If you ban airline flights, they're gonna start leaving by land, they may be more difficult to contact, they may be more difficult to treat."
As of this writing, the AP had not confirmed how any medical certificate procedure might work.
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