Sierra Leone Describes 3-Day Ebola Lockdown As 'Huge Success'

Officials in Sierra Leone have described their three-day lockdown of the country as a success in curbing the spread of the Ebola virus.

Officials ended the three-day curfew at midnight on Sunday, describing the strict attempt at curbing the virus as a "huge success." Over the past three days, Sierra Leone's six million residents were ordered to stay indoors while 30,000 aid workers tended to the sick and removed bodies from public areas and homes. 

The goal of the curfew was for aid workers and volunteers to visit every household in the country to find sick patients or the bodies of those who had already passed due to the virus. Volunteers visited each household but did not enter, and provided each family with a bar soap, placing a sticker on their door to indicate the home had been visited.

Government officials told Al Jazeera News that its drastic move had been successful and it would not be extending the curfew because "its objectives have largely been met."

The lockdown gained some criticism from those who suggested keeping people indoors would promote the concealment of those suffering from the disease, but Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma said prior to the lockdown that "extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."

Others applauded the lockdown measure because it gave those who are afraid to reveal their sickness due to social stigma an opportunity to privately discuss it with an aid worker. Proponents also argued that the curfew would promote trust between residents and aid workers.

Since the outbreak began back in March, the deadly virus has killed 2,600 people in West Africa, and 560 in Sierra Leone alone. Other countries majorly affected by the virus' spread include Nigeria, Guinea and Liberia.