Quinn, Rauner differ on Ebola restrictions
Republican challenger for governor Bruce Rauner is raising the specter of Ebola in his campaign against Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn with a week to go before Election Day.
Rauner said Monday he backs a ban on travel from three western African countries, a proposal called for by Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, among others.
"It is troubling that Governor Quinn would not support a travel ban, particularly given that O'Hare is one of the world's busiest airports," Rauner said in a statement.
There have been no cases of Ebola in Illinois.
While Quinn does not support a travel ban, the governor directed the Illinois Department of Public Health Friday to enforce mandatory, 21-day home quarantines for people "who have had direct contact with an individual infected" in western Africa.
"This protective measure is too important to be voluntary," Quinn said. "We must take every step necessary to ensure the people of Illinois are protected from potential exposure to the Ebola virus."
Rauner's campaign said Saturday the businessman agreed with the move.
On Monday, state health officials were taking pains to differentiate the state's Ebola plans from those of New York and New Jersey, where mandatory quarantines for medical workers have come under fire from scientists.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director LaMar Hasbrouck said Monday the state's approach strikes the "right balance" by enforcing a home quarantine only for the highest-risk cases. The Illinois 21-day mandatory home quarantine won't be used for medical workers if they wore personal protective equipment correctly while treating Ebola patients in West Africa.
Hasbrouck said Illinois wasn't directly influenced by a New York doctor who went bowling before testing positive for Ebola. But he said that New York case "played into the urgency" for a public announcement.
• The Associated Press contributed to this story.