US extends Ebola travel ban to Green Card holders

The US government on Friday imposed a temporary ban on the entry of lawful permanent residents who have visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days amid worries of the Ebola virus spreading to the country.

US citizens, US nationals, and holders of green cards had previously been exempt from the 30-day ban but the CDC now says that including them in the ban is essential to ensure that the virus does not make its way to America.

"Using our authority in 42 CFR 70 to apply the Order to LPRs for a limited period of time provides a balance between protecting public health and managing emergency response resources," the CDC said in a statement.

The World Health Organization raised the risk level of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus spreading to become a national outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as it declared the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda to be a public health emergency of international concern.

The CDC first ⁠issued the order on Monday under Title 42 of the 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 did President Donald Trump's ​various travel bans.

A rare strain of Ebola has prompted the World Health Organisation to declare a public health emergency of international concern.

Most of the cases have occurred in the DRC, with at least 131 fatalities associated ⁠with the outbreak. There have been ​516 suspected cases and 33 confirmed cases in Congo, according to ​a daily bulletin published by health authorities, and two confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.