Palmer post #34 includes many points, as well as many other posts and comments.
Keep in mind these are not just liberals - these people are globalists. Stop thinking in terms of left and right politics.
It is about control of the people - restricting travel, Quarantines, martial law, elections may be canceled, but in addition, the people striking at airports is an example of how people react to the fear of this disease.
From Oct 7
GOV. MALLOY SIGNS ORDER THAT WILL ASSIST THE STATE’S EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN THE EVENT OF A CONFIRMED INFECTION OR EXPOSURE TO EBOLA
Order Gives State Officials the Ability to Coordinate a Targeted Quarantine
http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/cwp/view.asp?A=4010&Q=554440
Declaration here
http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/lib/malloy/2014.10.07_Declaration_of_Public_Health_Emergency.pdf
Big powerful centralized governments. The globalists are going to benefit from that as you said. Also the authoritarian governments (e.g. China) will extract the infected and noninfected alike and throw them in concentration camps. So ironically they may do better at control. Globalists like that idea as well.