Sierra Leone’s 6 million people were told to stay home for three days beginning on Friday, except for religious services, as the West African nation attempted a final push to rid itself of Ebola.
Thousands of teams were out reminding people how Ebola is spread and how to prevent it.
Teams were also going to search for Ebola cases, particularly in regions around the capital and in the north, where flare-ups persist.
Streets were largely empty on Friday except for police on patrols and soldiers and their checkpoints. Muslims were allowed to go to Friday prayers, but attendance was low, and the streets emptied quickly after services. Christians are to be allowed to go to church today.
Mabinty Conteh, a community health worker in Freetown, the capital, said some people her team visited were receptive, but others were hostile.
The Sierra Leonean National Ebola Response Center said there were no major incidents.
Alfred Palo Conteh, the head of Sierra Leone’s Ebola response, said a major goal was to fight complacency, more than a year after the Ebola outbreak was declared in West Africa.
“We understand that people are tired and want to get back to their normal life, but we’re not there yet. It’s the final meters in the race,” UNICEF’s Roeland Monasch said.
While recent weeks have seen a steep reduction in infections, 33 new cases were confirmed in Sierra Leone last week, according to the WHO.
Still, the outbreak is most worrying in Guinea, where it is driven by hidden cases.
Liberia’s last remaining Ebola case — a woman who became infected weeks after the last previous patient had recovered — died on Friday at a treatment center in the capital, said Francis Ketteh, acting head of the country’s Ebola response team.
Authorities say the woman might have contracted Ebola through sex with a survivor.
“We have been able to trace the people she came in contact with,” Ketteh said. “We call on everyone to follow the Ebola preventative measures.”
Health officials have told the public that even after areas are declared Ebola-free, new cases are possible via sexual transmission.
Liberia remains vulnerable to cases from Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Guinea has reported several new cases of the disease, which had appeared to be on the wane.
Before the woman fell ill, the Liberian government had hoped to declare the nation Ebola-free next month, 42 days after the final patient tested negative for a second time, which would mark double the length of the virus’ incubation period.
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