The Ebola virus is turning out to be the Grinch that stole Christmas in Sierra Leone. The government has canceled public holiday celebrations this month. Soldiers will be out in force, making sure there is no cheer on the streets during the holiday season, to stem the spread of the virus, Newsmax TV’s “Meet The Doctors” reports.
Sierra Leone has been hit hard by the Ebola outbreak, which continues to spiral out of control in West Africa, with more than 6500 people dead to date. The nation has been in an official state of emergency since July, which means public gatherings of any kind are prohibited. But health officials are now concerned that holiday celebrations that would bring lots of people together could boost the number of Ebola cases.
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“There will be no Christmas and New Year celebrations this year,” said Palo Conteh, the country’s defense minister and head of its Ebola response team, in a public statement.
"We will ensure that everybody remains at home to reflect on Ebola. Military personnel will be on the streets at Christmas and the New Year to stop any street celebrations."
About a quarter of Sierra Leone’s 6 million people are Christian. But the Christmas holiday season cuts across religions, with processions and celebrations traditionally held throughout the nation, during the month of December.
This year, however, Christmas wishes and ads have been replaced by dire public service announcements warning about the spread of Ebola. Schools, bars, and nightclubs have already been shut down to limit the spread of the virus.
In a commentary published in the International Business Times, Agnes Bangali — who works for the United Nations Population Fund in Sierra Leone — said the decision to cancel Christmas celebrations is sad, but necessary and understandable.
“It is hard to have a Merry Christmas when you've lost loved ones, and are preoccupied with staying alive; when there's nowhere you can go to drink and be merry, and the very act of doing so seems out of place,” she wrote.
“Having a Merry Christmas is not really the priority right now; keeping our people alive to see many more Christmases is. Ebola stole this Christmas; all we can do now is make sure that this never happens again,” she added.
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