By Ahmed Aboulenein
WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) – The United States on Friday temporarily banned the entry of lawful permanent residents who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, citing concerns over Ebola.
U.S. citizens, nationals and green card holders had been exempt from a 30-day Ebola ban, but the U.S. CDC said on Friday that extending the ban to green card holders was necessary to stop the virus from entering the country.
“Applying this authority to lawful permanent residents for a limited period of time provides a balance between protecting public health and managing emergency response resources,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
The World Health Organization on Friday raised to “very high” the risk of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the DRC and has declared the outbreak there and in Uganda an emergency of international concern.
The CDC first issued the order on Monday under Title 42 of U.S. public health law, which allows federal health authorities to prohibit migrants from entering the country to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
Green card holders have historically been shielded from U.S. entry restrictions. The CDC’s COVID-era Title 42 order did not apply to them, nor have President Donald Trump’s various travel bans.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by William Mallard)
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