Sierra Leone extends virus lockdown for 3 days

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has extended a coronavirus lockdown for three days from Sunday due to the spread of the virus in the poor West African nation.

There are fears that the nation of 7.5 million people is particularly exposed to an outbreak due to poverty and a fragile health care system. There have been 124 recorded cases and seven deaths so far.

The former British colony was badly hit by the 2014-2016 West African Ebola crisis, which killed almost 4,000 people in the country.

“Epidemiological data and other evidence indicate that there is community transmission of #COVID-19 in #SierraLeone,” Bio said in a tweet posted late Thursday.

“I therefore declare a three-day nationwide lockdown covering the period Sunday, 3rd May to Tuesday, 5th of May, 2020.”

Sierra Leone has banned travel between regions, imposed a night curfew, closed its borders and schools and banned international flights.

The first COVID-19 case in the country was declared on March 30, long after many African nations.