Some 6 million residents in Sierra Leone hunkered down at home on Friday as the country began a three-day lockdown aimed at raising awareness about the deadly Ebola virus.
The normally crowded streets were empty in the hilly capital, Freetown, with only security officials and essential workers with government passes allowed out. "Freetown is looking very lonely. We are all just staying at home waiting," said taxi driver Salifu Conte.
The dramatic measures came as the United Nations said the outbreak, which has infected some 5,300 people largely in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, was a threat to world peace. Health workers have struggled to stem the spiralling numbers as residents in rural areas have fled or attacked them. On Thursday, nine members of an education team in Guinea were found with slit throats after panicked residents thought they had come to attack them.
The normally crowded streets were empty in the hilly capital, Freetown, with only security officials and essential workers with government passes allowed out. "Freetown is looking very lonely. We are all just staying at home waiting," said taxi driver Salifu Conte.
The dramatic measures came as the United Nations said the outbreak, which has infected some 5,300 people largely in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, was a threat to world peace. Health workers have struggled to stem the spiralling numbers as residents in rural areas have fled or attacked them. On Thursday, nine members of an education team in Guinea were found with slit throats after panicked residents thought they had come to attack them.
