“The United States and other countries around the world have put in place unprecedented travel restrictions in response to the virus,” said Democratic
Rep. Eliot L. Engel. “These measures have not proven to improve public health outcomes, rather they tend to cause economic harm and to stoke racist and discriminatory responses to this epidemic.”
A day earlier, Democratic Rep. Ami Bera, who presided over the hearing, told
Politico, “In our response we can’t create prejudices and harbor anxieties toward one population.” Bera told
Politico the decision to impose travel restrictions “probably doesn’t make sense” given that the outbreak had already spread to several other countries by that point. “At this juncture, it’s going to be very hard to contain the virus,” Bera said.