| Advertisement |
WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama met with the presidents of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea on Wednesday at the White House to pledge support for the nations worst-hit by the Ebola virus. "We're proud to partner with you, and we intend to see this through until the job is done," Obama told Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Alpha Condé of Guinea and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone.
Advertisement
"Last week, there were fewer than 40 new cases; so we've seen major progress," Obama added. "Now we're focused on the shared goal and that is getting to zero."
Sierra Leone is reopening schools for 1.8 million students this week.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that there were no countries with an initial case or localized transmission of the Ebola virus.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signed a memorandum on Monday pledging cooperation with the African Union to establish an African version of the CDC.
Sierra Leone issued a mandatory three-day lockdown in late March after the West African nation reported dozens of new Ebola cases.
About 6 million people were confined to their homes, except for religious services, in an effort to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Muslims were allowed a two-hour exemption on Friday for prayer and Christians get a five-hour window on Sunday.
Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have set targets of having zero cases by the middle of April. The Ebola outbreak has killed more than 10,000 in the three countries in the past year.
Amy R. Connolly contributed to this report.
