Just for one night, the Liberian government is suspending the imposed curfew on the country, which was set up in an effort to reduce the spread of Ebola. This will make way for New Year's Eve church services, a tradition in Liberia.
Introduced in September, the curfew runs from midnight to 6 a.m. It will be in effect again the following night. Anyone caught outside during those times will be arrested starting Jan. 1. During the time the curfew is lifted, churches holding services are advised to observe measures to keep Ebola from spreading. These measures include temperature testing, hand washing and preventing overcrowding in church benches.
With consent from Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the Ministry of Justice announced the temporary lifting of the curfew.
"In an effort to enable churches and religious groups around the country to conduct traditional worship services on the eve of the New Year, I am pleased to announce that curfew for Wednesday Night, December 31, 2014, the eve of the New Year is hereby suspended," said Benedict Sannoh, acting justice minister.
With around 49 infections reported from Grand Cape Mount County from Dec. 1 to 25, Liberia's rate of new cases is slowing down. This number includes 27 confirmed cases, 13 suspected and nine probable, according to Tolbert Nyensuwah, head of Ebola response in Liberia and assistant minister for preventive services.
One of the least populous counties, Grand Cape Mount sits at Liberia's borders with Sierra Leone, where a deadly hemorrhagic fever is raging alongside the Ebola outbreak.
With more than 20,000 cases of infections and over 7,800 deaths, this Ebola epidemic is the worst on record. Out of the death toll, around 3,413 were from Liberia, one of three countries most affected by the outbreak in West Africa.
There is no cure yet for Ebola, but clinical trials for vaccines are promising, yielding more than satisfactory results in terms of safety and efficacy. Vaccine development is, however, just one part of the problem. Another has to do with the logistical difficulty of producing massive amounts of vaccines to cover everyone in the affected countries; another has to do with cost. Vaccinating millions is no easy task.
In the meantime, countries all over the world are pitching in to alleviate the condition in West Africa, offering reinforcements to help curb the spread of Ebola. Health organizations are also participating by sending volunteers to affected areas in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
