US temporarily bans entry of green card holders over Ebola concerns

The United States has temporarily barred lawful permanent residents who recently travelled through the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan over Ebola concerns. The CDC said the limited move balances public health protection with emergency response needs as the WHO escalated its warning.

In Short

• CDC said the temporary move was needed to keep Ebola out
• WHO raised the Bundibugyo strain risk in DRC to very high
• The outbreak in DRC and Uganda was labelled an international emergency

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.

US citizens, nationals and green card holders had been exempt from a 30-day Ebola ban, but the US 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 Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.

The World Health Organisation 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 US 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 US entry restrictions. The CDC's COVID-era Title 42 order did not apply to them, nor have President Donald Trump's various travel bans.

- Ends