President of Liberia reopens borders, lifts curfew imposed due to Ebola outbreak

MONROVIA, Liberia, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Liberia is reopening its land borders and lifting a nationwide curfew on Sunday thanks to a slowdown in the spread of the Ebola virus.

The borders have been closed since July and the removed curfew was imposed in August. New infections of Ebola have dropped to 10 percent of the amount seen at the peak of the outbreak.

There have been 12 confirmed cases in Liberia, 134 in Guinea and 221 in Sierra Leone the past three weeks before Feb. 18.

"The Government's actions were necessitated by the rapid spread of the disease, coupled with the death toll due largely to continued denials, cultural burying practices and failure to adhere to health protocols," a statement on the website of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said.

Recently, many schools in Liberia reopened months about five months after they were closed.

More than 9,300 people died from Ebola in West Africa, about 4,000 died in Liberia alone.

Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the countries affected the worst by the Ebola outbreak, have pledged to prevent all Ebola infections within the next two months.