Ebola Crisis: Liberia Reopens Borders As Infection Falls
Liberia is to reopen its borders following a reduction in the number of Ebola cases being reported in the country.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made the announcement on Friday and said nationwide curfews would also be lifted.
New infections have dropped to one-tenth of the level seen when the virus was at its peak.
But health officials warned the decline has levelled off in the last month.
Dr Bruce Aylward, who leads the World Health Organization’s official Ebola response, said data showed the steep decrease in infections had now flattened, at a rate of around 120 to 150 new cases a week.
More than 9,300 people have died since the outbreak of the virus early last year.
However, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have pledged to achieve zero Ebola infections within the next two months.
Liberia was hardest-hit by the outbreak, but has been leading the recovery, with only two confirmed cases in the week leading to February 12. This compares to 74 in Sierra Leone and 52 in Guinea.
Liberia’s borders were closed last year and an overnight curfew imposed as part of a state of emergency.
Schools in Liberia had earlier reopened in a bid to help the country return to normal.
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