US authorities temporarily bar lawful permanent residents from entering if they traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the prior 21 days. The restriction is intended to prevent Ebola from entering US borders and expands earlier rules that had targeted people without US passports while exempting US citizens and lawful permanent residents. The order allows the CDC Director or another delegate to prohibit entry of certain lawful permanent residents when reasonably required for public health. The order cites that green-card holders may have stronger ties outside the US, making the burden comparatively less. US citizens returning from those countries are directed to a second point of entry, and enhanced Ebola screening is expanded to Atlanta due to limited containment resources. The CDC also notes that quarantine for communicable diseases requires specialized isolated facilities with limited capacity.
"US authorities have temporarily banned green-card holders from entering the country if they have traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the last 21 days. The order issued Friday is part of an expanding attempt to prevent Ebola from entering US borders. A previously announced travel restriction blocked only people without US passports who had visited those countries from entering but exempted US citizens and lawful permanent residents."
"HHS and CDC have determined that permitting the Director of CDC or other Secretarial delegate the discretion to prohibit entry of certain lawful permanent residents is reasonably required in the interest of public health, the order reads. The order added that green-card holders may maintain stronger ties to families and communities outside the US than US citizens and nationals, such that prohibiting their entry is comparatively less burdensome."
"US citizens returning from the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan now have a second point of entry to the US, the CDC said, in addition to Washington's Dulles airport. The agency said on Saturday it is expanding its enhanced Ebola screening to include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport. It pointed to resource constraints for containing a quarantinable disease."
"Containing quarantinable communicable diseases on US soil is highly resource-intensive, requiring specialized and isolated facilities with limited capacity, it added. In a separate statement, the CDC said that 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."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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