Christmas cheer banned as Ebola battle continues

"There will be no Christmas and New Year celebrations this year," said Palo Conteh, a former soldier who is the country's Defence Minister and the head of its Ebola response team. Photo / Thinkstock

Soldiers will make sure there is no Christmas cheer in Sierra Leone this year as the Ebola virus continues to spread through west Africa.

"There will be no Christmas and New Year celebrations this year," said Palo Conteh, a former soldier who is the country's Defence Minister and the head of its Ebola response team.

"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."

Sierra Leone has been in a state of emergency since July, which means public gatherings are prohibited. But Conteh said the residents of the Western Area, or Freetown Peninsula, needed to observe the rules strictly or the virus would continue to kill.

More than a quarter of Sierra Leone's six million people are Christian, but the festive season crosses religions, with masquerade processions across the country throughout December. However, this year's Christmas advertisements have been replaced by public service announcements and businesses are struggling.

"It is hard to have a merry Christmas when you've lost loved ones, and are preoccupied with staying alive; when there's nowhere you can go to drink and be merry, and the very act of doing so seems out of place," wrote Agnes Bangali, who works for the United Nations Population Fund in Sierra Leone, in the International Business Times.

"Having a merry Christmas is not really the priority right now; keeping our people alive to see many more Christmases is. Ebola stole this Christmas; all we can do now is make sure that this never happens again," she added.

Sierra Leone has now overtaken Liberia as the country worst affected by the virus.