USA...wants to grant temporary stay for countries affected with Ebola...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Department of
Homeland Security will grant temporary
protected status to people from the three West
African countries most affected by Ebola who
are currently residing in the United States,
department officials said on Thursday.
People from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone in
the United States as of Thursday may apply for
protection from deportation, as well as for work
permits, for 18 months, said a Department of
Homeland Security official.
After 18 months, the Secretary of Homeland
Security will assess whether the protection
should be extended, based on the level of the
Ebola epidemic in West Africa.
The move is a response to the Ebola epidemic,
which has claimed more than 5,000 lives, mostly
in the three West African countries.
In order to prevent a mass migration from West
Africa to the United States, nationals from these
countries who arrive after Thursday will not be
eligible for protected status.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
officials estimate that 8,000 people will be
eligible to apply.
"The Ebola response in the United States has
been front and center in the United States
government at high levels," said a Department
of Homeland Security official. "This designation
has been part of that constant monitoring,
reevaluation and reassessment of the
appropriate response."
The United States reserves temporary protected
status for people from countries experiencing
conditions deemed too dangerous to return to,
such as Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
Unlike other recipients, protected people from
West Africa will not be allowed to travel home
and then return to the United States, in order to
prevent the disease from spreading.
Nationals from the three countries must
undergo a background check in order to receive
protected status. Those with a criminal history
will not be approved, said the Homeland Security
official.