Nigeria bans airline

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According to eTurboNews, the Nigerian government has suspended all ASKY Airline flight operations to Nigeria over the transportation of an Ebola virus victim into the country.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority took the action to protect Nigerians from the deadly virus currently ravaging some parts of Africa.

ASKY operates 80 flights into Lagos and Abuja weekly.

The airline has cancelled flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to Breaking News Travel, as the virus continues to spread. The carrier has suspended all flights to and from Freetown and Monrovia, and passengers will also be screened for the virus at Conakry Airport in Guinea.

ASKY said it is working with airport authorities in Togo to educate passengers about the signs of the virus and has put more checks in place.

In other Ebola news, Freetown (Sierra Leone) has declared a state of public emergency and will call in security forces to quarantine epicentres of the disease. According to iol.co.za, the measures mirror the tough anti-Ebola approach announced by neighbouring Liberia earlier in the week.

President Ernest Bai Koroma said that the police and military would restrict movement to and from epicentres, and would provide support to health officers and NGOs, following a number of attacks on healthcare workers by local communities. House-to-house searches will be conducted to trace Ebola victims and quarantine them.