– The United States on Friday 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.U.S. citizens, nationals and green card holders had ​been exempt from a 30-day Ebola ban, ​but the U.S. CDC said on Friday that ⁠extending the ban to green card holders 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 ​said in a statement.

The World Health Organization on Friday 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 CDC first ⁠issued the order on Monday under Title 42 of U.S. 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 U.S. ⁠entry ​restrictions. The CDC’s COVID-era Title 42 ​order did not apply to them, nor have President Donald Trump’s ​various travel bans.