Inhofe, Transportation Secretary Talk About Ebola Protocols In U.S.

For the second time this week, an Ebola patient is being moved from Dallas to a specialized facility.

Nurse Nina Pham is being transferred to the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. It's one of only four facilities in the United States that is specially equipped to handle viruses like Ebola.

Another nurse, Amber Vinson, was moved to an Atlanta hospital Wednesday night. Both women worked on a team of 75 healthcare workers who cared for America's first Ebola fatality - Thomas Duncan, who was a Liberian national who traveled from his home country to the U.S. So far, no one with whom Duncan stayed in Dallas has gotten sick.

A hospital in Connecticut is now evaluating a patient with "Ebola-like" symptoms. The patient returned to the United States on Saturday from Liberia.

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) is pushing to ban incoming travel from West Africa. He said it's a common sense move to protect Americans and he is drawing up a plan right now.

The country's top transportation official was in Tulsa on Thursday, and he says his agency is taking the threat seriously.

“The very best minds, not only in the country, but in the world are focused on this,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said.

It is the scene Foxx wants to keep from being repeated.

“There are series of protocols that have been in place for a long time that are being triggered by this incident,” Foxx said.

Protocols that, according to Inhofe need to be updated to keep Ebola from spreading in the U.S.

He says the Centers for Disease Control must revise its guidelines to better protect healthcare workers. But his main focus is keeping West African travelers out of the United States.

“The problem we have if we just totally ignore it is, like down in Dallas now, you have one getting through now there's 17 more that are potentially infected,” Inhofe said.

The senator is calling for a temporary travel ban, but only from three West African nations fighting the Ebola outbreak.

“It would say that we are restricting the migration to this country of people from the infected areas until we find a solution to the problem,” Inhofe said.

There would be one exception to the rule. Inhofe says Americans would be allowed back in, but would be questioned and monitored for potential symptoms.

“Those individuals, we have to take care of and accept, which we will,” he said.

Foxx wouldn't say if he supports a travel ban, but said his agency is working with the CDC and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to craft the best plan to keep Americans safe.

“Those decisions are being made collaboratively, and that's all there is to say at this point,” Foxx said.

The transportation department is permitting airlines to turn any travelers away who are believed to be sick.