The Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa is not slowing down. So far, it has already killed at least 2700 people from at least 5700 cases. The most affected countries are Guinea and Liberia. In an effort to curb down the number of casualties, nearby country Sierra Leone has began a three-day nationwide lockdown. Sierra Leone isn't new to the case though as 537 lives have already been taken by the deadly disease as of September 17.
On Friday, the usually crowded Freetown looked like a ghost town as President Ernest Bai Koroma urged his people to stay confined within their homes. Several health workers were also sent to do house to house inspections in hopes of finding and isolating infected people. According to the World Health Organization, this is the first time since the Middle Ages that a nationwide shut down was implemented due to a plague.
"Today, the life of everyone is at stake, but we will get over this difficulty if all do what we have been asked to do," Koroma said in a television address.
"These are extraordinary times and extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."
This measure by the Sierra Leone administration against the ebola virus outbreak received backing from UNICEF.
"If people don't have access to the right information, we need to bring lifesaving messages to them, where they live, at their doorsteps," said Roeland Monasch, a UNICEF representative to the West African country.
While health experts are all in for the three-day lockdown to battle ebola virus outbreak, residents are not totally sold. They think that this move has paralyzed small businesses and gave other the chance to raise the prices of their goods.
"Food prices have gone up 30 percent. Many homes that cannot afford (food) are starving," said Ahmed Nanoh, executive secretary of Sierra Leone's chamber of agriculture.
"This morning many families are calling on the radio crying because of lack of food in their homes."
