WASHINGTON – The United States on May 22 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 and permanent residents had been exempt from a 30-day Ebola ban, but the US CDC said on May 22 that extending the ban to PRs, or green card holders as they are commonly known, 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 (CDC) said in a statement.
The interim final rule published is effective immediately and will remain in effect for six months or until Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr determines it is no longer needed.
The World Health Organisation on May 22 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 Trump administration has emphasised travel restrictions and enhanced screening in its response to the Ebola outbreak.
Those measures have drawn some criticism from health authorities in the region who have urged the international community to boost efforts to contain the outbreak.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention decried the travel restrictions, saying they are often unnecessary and ineffective.
The CDC first issued the order on May 18 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 US President Donald Trump’s various travel bans. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG