Sierra Leone cancels Christmas

Monjola Sotubo 16:38 - 13 December 2014

According to the country’s Ebola response unit, soldiers will be deployed throughout the holidays to ensure that citizens stay indoors.

The Sierra Leonean government has announced a ban on all public Christmas celebrations as part of efforts to rid the country of the deadly Ebola virus.

“There will be no Christmas and New Year celebrations this year. We will ensure that everybody remains at home to reflect on Ebola,” the head of the unit, Palo Conteh said on Friday, December 12.

“Military personnel will be on the streets at Christmas and the New Year to stop any street celebrations,” he added.

Sierra Leone has been forced to employ stricter measures in the fight against Ebola due to a sharp increase in cases of the disease and the discovery of a hotspot in the Eastern district of Kono.