Freetown, Sierra Leone (PANA) – Sierra Leone on Friday recorded a zero Ebola infection for the first time since the disease broke out in the West African nation in May 2014.
The country has recorded more confirmed infection cases (11, 751) than any of the three Mano River Union countries worst affected by the outbreak (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), with the death toll in the country alone rising to almost 3,700, over one-third of the total Ebola deaths of 10,194.
Meanwhile, President Ernest Bai Koroma announced a three-day national lock-down in a special radio broadcast on Saturday.
The President said the lock-down, which will start on March 27, and end on March 29, will allow Sierra Leoneans to take ownership of the final push towards zero infection.
New measures announced by the President include travel ban on all citizens during the three-day lock-down, except for essential workers.
In a related development, Liberia has confirmed a new Ebola case, ruining hopes that the country would soon become Ebola-free.
A woman tested positive for the disease on Friday, punctuating 20 continuous days of absence of new cases.
According to the World Heath Organization (WHO), 42 days must lapse from the last known case before a country can be declared Ebola-free.
