Sierra Leone widens Ebola quarantine to three more districts

Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma has widened a quarantine to include three more districts in an attempt to curb the spread of Ebola. 

Port Loko and Bombali in the north and Moyamba in the south are in effect to be sealed off immediately. 

At least 600 people have died of the virus in Sierra Leone and two eastern districts have been isolated since the beginning of last month.

The move follows a three-day nationwide curfew that ended on Sunday.

During the three-day curfew, more than a million households were surveyed and 130 new cases discovered.

President Koroma says the lockdown has been a success but has exposed the areas to greater challenges.

Only people delivering essential services can enter and circulate within areas under quarantine.

According to officials, the extension of the indefinite quarantine means more than a third of Sierra Leone's six point one million populations now find it unable to move freely.

BBC