Sierra Leone Cancels Christmas Because of Ebola
LatestRemember Ebola? Yes, it’s still a thing and yes it is still wreaking havoc and killing thousands of people in West Africa.
The government of Sierra Leone has banned all public Chrismas and New Years celebrations in an effort to deter the spread of the deadly virus, which has reportedly infected 1,319 more people in the last three weeks. Sierra Leone is very serious about this ban and has plans to deploy soldiers during the holiday season to keep people from celebrating and encouraging them to stay indoors. Palo Conteh, head of the government’s Ebola response unit, made a statement to reporters, via AFP:
“We will ensure that everybody remains at home to reflect on Ebola,” he said.
“Military personnel will be on the streets at Christmas and the New Year to stop any street celebrations,” he said, without saying which areas would be targeted.
Sierra Leone has just surpassed Liberia as the country with the most reported cases of the virus—there are more than 8,000 reported cases and nearly 1,900 deaths. The country has already shut down public places like bars and has banned public gatherings to prevent the spread of the disease.
Bob Geldof et al., yes, they know it’s Christmas. It just doesn’t matter.
Image via Getty.