Ebola Outbreak 2014: Sierra Leone Shuts Christmas Down

Sierra Leone has announced Friday that all public celebrations over Christmas and New Year are banned due to the Ebola crisis.

"The government is planning to keep people indoors during Christmas through Boxing Day and New Year," said Jarrah Kawusu-Konte, a spokesman for Sierra Leone's president.

"When you have parties, the risks are very high. We are very anxious to break the chain of transmission through parties and gatherings," Kawusu-Konte said. He did not specify the date when the ban would take effect, according to The Malayan Insider.

Soldiers are to be deployed on the streets throughout the festive period to keep people indoors.

Palo Conteh, head of the government's Ebola response unit, told reporters in the capital Freetown there would be "no Christmas and New Year celebrations this year".

"We will ensure that everybody remains at home to reflect on Ebola," he said.

"Military personnel will be on the streets at Christmas and the New Year to stop any street celebrations," he said, without saying which areas would be targeted, reported the Digital Journal.

While Islam is the dominant religion in Sierra Leone, Christmas is widely celebrated with more than a quarter of the population being Christian.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) figures, Sierra Leone has overtaken Liberia as the country with the most Ebola cases, with more than 8,000 cases and some 1,900 deaths since the start of the outbreak.