Walker Announces New Ebola Preparedness Plans For State

Gov. Scott Walker announced new Ebola preparedness plans for the state on Friday afternoon.

Walker said that he’s calling on the state Department of Health Services to partner with the Wisconsin National Guard to train teams of soldiers in Ebola treatment protocols and procedure. Walker is also calling on the federal government to institute a travel ban for Ebola-affected countries in West Africa.

He said, however, that charter, military, and other “medically necessary” flights should still be allowed.

Walker said on Friday morning that he’s “confident” about the state’s preparedness plan, which he says is being “constantly” updated.

“For weeks now, we’ve been getting just about daily updates not only from the state in terms of DHS, but they’re talking pretty routinely to our hospital systems, big and small alike, and to the hospital association and others, and they feel very strong. But I think with an issue like this, we want to make sure that we’re constantly vigilant,” said Walker.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke addressed Wisconsin’s Ebola response in an interview with Wisconsin Public Television late night. She called the disease “a real threat.”

“We have the best hospitals here, we have the best people. But of course I am concerned that the procedures are in place and that our hospital personnel are trained to be able to identify the disease and act accordingly,” said Burke.

There have been two cases of Ebola diagnosed in the U.S.