The President sent some 1,000 troops to West Africa to help combat the disease. Those returning soldiers will now serve out a 21-day isolation upon arriving back in the U.S.
President Obama lauded the U.S. doctors and nurses who fought Ebola in West Africa for their “incredible heroism” Wednesday and said “they deserve to be treated like the heroes they are” when they come home.
And while Obama heaped praise on the medics gathered with him at the White House, his enigmatic Ebola czar Ron Klain watched from a front row seat.
“I know that people are scared,” Obama said, flanked by doctors and nurses who recently returned from the hardest hit countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. “It’s critical we remain focused on the facts and the science.”
Some of them were within the 21-day monitoring period recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for those exposed to the virus. None were deemed symptomatic, according to the White House.
Obama said the Ebola epidemic will end and that potentially hundreds of thousands of lives will be saved.
“I put those on notice who think we should hide from these problems: that's not who we are, that's not who I am, that's not who these folks are," he said.
Obama shook hands with each worker, reinforcing his constant refrain that Americans have overreacted in some instances.
Before wrapping up, Obama gave a shout-out to New York City Dr. Craig Spencer, who contracted Ebola while working in Guinea and is the only American being treated for the deadly disease.
“We salute his service,” he said.
Obama pointedly noted that of the seven Americans treated so far for Ebola in the U.S., only Spencer is still undergoing treatment.
Obama was preceded by Ebola survivor, Dr. Kent Brantly, who was greeted with a standing ovation.
Klain, who has been criticized for his out-of-sight approach to coordinating the government’s Ebola response and his lack of medical credentials, quickly split after Obama finished speaking.Earlier, White House spokesman Josh Earnest hinted strongly they may trot out Klain to talk with reporters soon.
“Even before Ron started in the job, we were clear, at least I was clear, about describing his role as one that would be principally behind the scenes,” he said. “And that need for him to play that coordinating role would limit his ability to make a large number of public appearances.”
Obama’s words were seen as another slap at Gov. Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who are now requiring the returning health care workers be quarantined for 21 days.
In other Ebola-related developments:
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said U.S. troops returning from West Africa will be held in isolation for 21 days to make sure they don’t have the deadly disease.
Hagel’s move goes beyond precautions recommended by the Obama administration and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for civilians.
But Hagel also ordered the Joint Chiefs to conduct a review of the new regimen within 45 days and left open the possibility he could scale it back.
“This review will offer a recommendation on whether or not such controlled monitoring should continue,” Hagel’s spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said in a statement.
Hagel said he wanted to allay the concerns of military families about the disease, which is spread by contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.
“They very much wanted a safety valve on this,” he said at a forum in Washington held by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic magazine.
Some 1,000 U.S. troops are in Africa aiding the effort to combat the deadly disease, which has killed nearly 5,000 people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierraleone. They.They are based in Liberia and also in Senegal, which is Ebola-free.
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