US temporarily expands Ebola travel restrictions to include some green card holders

The United States on Friday temporarily barred lawful permanent residents from entering the country if they had been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days, citing concerns over the spread of Ebola.

Previously, US citizens, nationals and green card holders had been exempt from a 30-day Ebola-related entry restriction. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the temporary inclusion of green card holders was needed to reduce the risk of the virus 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 agency said in a statement.

The move comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the risk level of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola spreading into a wider national outbreak in Congo to “very high.” The WHO also classified the outbreak in Congo and Uganda as an international public health emergency.

The CDC first issued its order earlier this week under Title 42 of US public health law, which allows federal health authorities to block entry in an effort to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.

Green card holders have traditionally been exempt from similar restrictions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Title 42 measures did not apply to permanent residents, and they were also excluded from previous travel restrictions introduced under the administration of Donald Trump.

The latest decision marks a notable shift because lawful permanent residents have generally been treated differently from temporary visa holders in US entry policies.