Sierra Leone ends 3-day Ebola lockdown

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Sierra Leone has ended a three-day lockdown intended to curb the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

The Ministry of Health announced Monday the Emergency Operations Center considered the lockdown measure a success.

"... after careful evaluation of the three days "Ose to Ose" Ebola talk, [EOC] has reached a conclusion that more than 75 percent of its intended target of reaching 1.5 million households across the country with the correct information on Ebola has been achieved."

During the lockdown, imposed from Thursday to Sunday, citizens were prohibited from leaving their homes as health workers went "ose to ose" -- door to door -- to identify cases and raise awareness.

Although heralded as a success, Doctors Without Borders cautioned that lockdowns during an Ebola outbreak "end up driving people underground" and "leads to the concealment of potential cases and ends up spreading the disease further."

Sierra Leone's Health Ministry added that while the three-day lockdown is over, "the Social Mobilization exercise will continue in those communities that have been identified as hot spots across the country."