Sierra Leone Orders Shutdown Of Capital City

The government of Sierra Leone has ordered all businesses in the capital city to close in a bid to curb the deadly Ebola epidemic. Shops, markets and traders are required to observe a three-day shutdown in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, starting on Friday, Mayor Sam Franklyn Gibson said Thursday, adding that only pharmacies are allowed to remain open. The mayor also urged residents to don long-sleeved clothing in order to prevent skin-on-skin contact and keep the worst outbreak in history under control.

 “This will help reduce incidences of touching and rubbing against sweating bodies of other people,” the mayor stated. The shutdown is the second such incident in the country after the government declared a nationwide three-day lockdown two months ago. Sierra Leone remains one of the hardest hit countries by the Ebola outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).