Sierra Leone initiated a three day lockdown to deal with the Ebola outbreak.
Sierra Leone initiated a nationwide three-day lockdown on Friday, in order to combat the Ebola virus that has already impacted the country. The 6 million citizens are to remain indoors for the next three days as a team of 30,000 health workers visits each household.
The team of health workers will visit every house and isolate cases of Ebola victims, while handing out soap and educating citizens about the Ebola virus. The goal is to reach every household in Sierra Leone by Sunday.
Police are blocking roads and allowing only health care related vehicles to travel through the roads. Even in the capital city of Freetown, normally busy streets are empty.
Radio stations are telling citizens to stay indoors and playing information about Ebola.
President Ernest Bai Koroma compelled residents to cooperate in a statement he made the night before the lockdown.
“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,” he said.
In an article by NPR, Stephen Gaojia, head of the Ebola Emergency Operations Center in Sierra Leone, told the publication that the lockdown is a moment to, “stay together to do some reflection, engage in prayer, generate some kind of family discussion about Ebola.”
“We want to help rebuild public confidence and trust in the public health care system,” he said.
However, many professionals believe that this strategy will not be effective in combatting the virus. Some critics claim that only chaos will ensue.
Earlier this month, Doctors Without Borders stated, “Forced quarantines and lockdowns are driving people underground and jeopardizing the trust between people and health providers.”
Possible evidence of the fear and distrust towards health providers was revealed on Thursday, when the bodies of 8 members of a team raising awareness of Ebola were found in a Guinean village.
The bodies were found in a septic tank, according to an article by BBC news. “Many villagers accuse the health workers of spreading the disease,” said a BBC reporter.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the Ebola virus has claimed 562 lives in Sierra Leone.
