Ebola-ravaged Liberia to reopen schools
School will reopen in February six months after they were shut to curb Ebola spread in African nation, government says.
Schools in Ebola-ravaged Liberia will reopen in February, six months after they were closed in a bid to contain the spread of the killer virus, the education ministry has said.
“We ask all schools to take the necessary measures for the reopening of schools next semester, which is February,” the ministry said in a statement read out on Monday.
“All schools have to get equipped with chlorine water, thermometrs, and all have to put in place all measures recommended by the health ministry for the prevention of the virus,” the statement added.
The move comes as Liberia, one of three west African countries at the epicentre of the current Ebola outbreak, has seen a steady decrease in new cases in recent weeks.
In another piece of good news for Liberia, the country’s football federation announced the resumption of competitive matches.
Musa Bility, the president of the Liberian Football Association, said the ban was lifted “with immediate effect” but he urged players to keep in mind preventative measures to halt the spread of Ebola.
Worst Ebola outbreak
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on July 30 ordered all schools to close their doors to contain the epidemic.
The worst Ebola outbreak on record has killed 8,153 people over the past year. Liberia has seen the highest fatality rate with 3,471 deaths, followed by Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Sierra Leone recently overtook Liberia as the country with the highest number of Ebola infections.
The haemorrhagic fever is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms such as fever or vomiting.