Violence Erupts in Liberia Over Ebola Quarantine
Violence erupted in Liberian city of Monrovia when the entire neighborhood of West Point, a sprawling slum with tens of thousands of people, awoke Wednesday morning to find that it was under strict quarantine in the government’s fight against Ebola.
Soldiers and police officers in riot gear opened fire and used tear gas on crowds in the slum, which has been closed off as part of new security measures aimed at containing the deadly virus.
The crackdown in Liberia comes as authorities around the world scramble to stem the worst ever outbreak of Ebola, which has killed more than 1,200 people across west Africa this year.
Liberian government quarantined West Point and Dolo Town, to the east of the capital, and imposed a night-time curfew as part of drastic measures to fight the disease.
Residents of West Point reacted with fury, hurling stones and shouting at the security forces.
"It is inhumane," resident Patrick Wesseh told AFP by telephone. "They can't suddenly lock us up without any warning, how are our children going to eat?"
In Liberia, 466 have died and the country has the largest number of Ebola cases among the four west African countries hit by the deadly virus.
Deaths from the epidemic now stand at 1,229 after the disease claimed 84 victims in three days, according to the World Health Organisation.
According to The Guardian, fears that the virus could spread to other continents have seen flights to the region cancelled, and authorities around the world adopting measures to screen travellers arriving from affected nations.
Late on Wednesday, Vietnam said it had released two Nigerian air travellers from isolation after their fevers subsided.
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| A Liberian soldier in the Ebola Task Force tried on Wednesday to enforce a quarantine by confronting a woman in Monrovia. Credit John Moore/Getty Images |
The crackdown in Liberia comes as authorities around the world scramble to stem the worst ever outbreak of Ebola, which has killed more than 1,200 people across west Africa this year.
Liberian government quarantined West Point and Dolo Town, to the east of the capital, and imposed a night-time curfew as part of drastic measures to fight the disease.
Residents of West Point reacted with fury, hurling stones and shouting at the security forces.
"It is inhumane," resident Patrick Wesseh told AFP by telephone. "They can't suddenly lock us up without any warning, how are our children going to eat?"
In Liberia, 466 have died and the country has the largest number of Ebola cases among the four west African countries hit by the deadly virus.
Deaths from the epidemic now stand at 1,229 after the disease claimed 84 victims in three days, according to the World Health Organisation.
According to The Guardian, fears that the virus could spread to other continents have seen flights to the region cancelled, and authorities around the world adopting measures to screen travellers arriving from affected nations.
Late on Wednesday, Vietnam said it had released two Nigerian air travellers from isolation after their fevers subsided.
Violence Erupts in Liberia Over Ebola Quarantine
Reviewed by The Niger Times
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9:51 am
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Reviewed by The Niger Times
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9:51 am
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