Comment from Anonymous

I wanted to share my perspective as a lawful permanent resident who has been following this order closely. I completely understand and support CDC's goal of protecting public health. However, I hope CDC will reconsider including lawful permanent residents in future extensions of this order. The original May 18 order allowed lawful permanent residents to return to the United States. That changed a few days later, but I'm not sure why the same public health measures that are considered sufficient for U.S. citizens—airport screening, health assessments, and monitoring—couldn't also be used for lawful permanent residents. I also hope CDC takes another look at Uganda separately from the DRC. Uganda's outbreak has remained relatively small and geographically limited, and the country has taken significant steps to reduce the risk of additional imported cases, including strengthening border screening and restricting passenger travel from the DRC. Uganda also continues to have a Level 2 Travel Health Notice rather than a Level 3 or Level 4 notice. The June 21 order says the purpose of the 30-day extension is to determine whether there has been a material change in the outbreak trajectory. I hope that reassessment considers how different Uganda's current situation is from the DRC and whether it still makes sense to treat them the same under this order. If CDC believes restrictions remain necessary because of the situation in the DRC, I respectfully ask that you consider either restoring the original exemption for lawful permanent residents or removing Uganda from any future extension if its outbreak continues to remain limited and under control. Thank you for taking the time to consider these comments.