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The three-day measure came into effect on Friday to try to stem the worst ebola epidemic on record.
The country’s six million residents were ordered to stay indoors as
volunteers circulated to educate people about the outbreak and isolate
the sick.
Some 123 people contacted authorities during the lockdown, believing they might be infected.
Of these, 56 tested positive for ebola, 31 tested negative and 36 were still awaiting their results, officials said.
Residents largely complied with the plan, and the streets remained mostly deserted, except for ambulances and police vehicles.
On Sunday evening, even before the lockdown officially ended at
midnight, residents in some parts of the capital Freetown emerged onto
the streets to celebrate.
Police in the western part of the city said they had made a number of
arrests in an attempt to enforce the lockdown in its final hours.
Earlier in the day, Stephen Gaojia, head of the Emergency Operations
Centre (EOC) that leads the national Ebola response, said a few areas
had still not been reached by the government’s teams.
“Even though the exercise has been a huge success so far, it has not
been concluded in some metropolitan cities like Freetown and Kenema,” he
said.
The EOC announced last night that it would not extend the campaign in
order to reach the remaining households as it had earlier said might be
required.
“It cannot be extended because its objectives have largely been met,” Mr Gaojia said.
British officials recently announced they were setting up a treatment
centre in Kerrytown following a direct request for help to combat the
outbreak.
The 62-bed facility will treat victims of the disease, including local and international health workers and volunteers.
