image source, Reuters
Sierra Leone wants health workers to be able to identify new cases of the disease.
The government of Sierra Leone, one of the West African countries hardest hit by Ebola, will update that it will carry out a three-day isolation operation in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly disease.
It is scheduled to run from September 19 to 21, a period during which people will not be able to leave their homes.
Councilor Ibrahim Ben Kargbo explained that the measure will allow health workers to identify new cases of infection with the virus.
According to him, more than 20,000 people will be deployed to ensure that the isolation measure is complied with.
protest risk
Thomas Fessy, BBC West Africa correspondent based in Senegal, said this is the most radical step taken so far to tackle Ebola.
image source, Pennsylvania
The virus spreads between humans through contact with blood, body fluids, or processed organs.
Fessy warned that its forced application could trigger violent demonstrations.
Some towns near the Guinean border have already been placed under quarantine.
And last month Liberia sealed off a large slum for more than a week in the capital, Monrovia, to try to contain the spread of the virus.
The current Ebola outbreak has already left more than 2,100 dead in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria in recent months.
Of these, more than 20 were health workers from Sierra Leone.
The virus first passes from animals to humans and is then spread between humans through contact with blood, body fluids, or processed organs.