US bans foreign travelers from Ebola-impacted nations |
US bans foreign travelers from Ebola-impacted nations
In response to a growing Ebola outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is imposing a ban on foreign passport holders from entering the country if they have been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.
The agency in a statement said it was invoking Title 42, a law that allows the CDC director to block noncitizens from entering the U.S. for public health purposes for up to 30 days.
The travel ban applies to anyone who was in those countries in recent weeks except for American citizens and members of the Army, as well as anyone specifically exempted from the ban by the Department of Homeland Security.
“At this time, CDC assesses the immediate risk to the general U.S. public as low, but we will continue to evaluate the evolving situation and may adjust public health measures as additional information becomes available,” the agency said in a statement.
The order was signed by Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health who is also serving as the head of CDC.
The CDC said it is stepping up screening efforts at airports and other points of........