Sierra Leone readies for Ebola shutdown
Sierra Leone was preparing yesterday for an unprecedented three-day nationwide shutdown to contain the deadly spread of the Ebola virus in a controversial move which experts claimed could worsen the epidemic.
The population of six million will be confined to their homes from midnight (0000 GMT) going into Friday as almost 30,000 volunteers go door-to-door uncovering patients and bodies hidden in people's homes.
"Rain or shine, the shutdown exercise is going to go ahead. During the three days... the job is going to get done," said Steven Gaojia, head of the government's emergency Ebola operation centre.
The worst-ever outbreak of the virus has claimed more than 550 lives in Sierra Leone, one of three countries at the epicentre of the epidemic which has so far killed some 2,600.
"Ose to Ose Ebola Tok" -- "House-to-House Ebola Talk" in the widely-spoken Krio language -- will see more than 7,000 volunteer teams of four visiting the country's 1.5 million homes.
They will hand out bars of soap and information on how to prevent infection, as well as setting up "neighbourhood watch"-style community Ebola surveillance teams.
The government has said the teams will not enter people's homes and are not tasked with collecting patients or bodies, but will call emergency services or burial teams "if by chance the teams happen to bump into such situations".
However, the government was at pains to emphasise that it was not a "curfew", and that people would be allowed out for essential business, such as collecting water.
The shutdown has broadly been welcomed by community leaders and residents of Freetown, however.
Ebola fever can fell its victims within days, causing severe muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and -- in some cases -- unstoppable internal and external bleeding.
Sierra Leone had been due to carry out a nationwide census in December but the government has announced on its website a postponement until April next year.
US President Barack Obama has pledged to send 3,000 military personnel to west Africa to combat the epidemic, and an initial deployment of around 20 soldiers arrived in Liberia on Thursday, an airport source said.
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