Pushing Ebola to the Brink of Gone in Liberia

As the Ebola epidemic waned in Liberia, the rainy season coincidentally ended, ushering in months of hotter, drier weather. And traditionally the dry season is party time, especially on the beaches of Atlantis and Mamba Point, where thousands of young urban adults living in Monrovia dance and mingle, day and night. Worried that the virus still lurks in her country and could readily spread among beach revelers, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ordered that the beaches be closed.

But Liberians are sick and tired of their nine-month-old epidemic and are eager to get back to normal life, however dangerous that might be. They want schools reopened, traditional funerals restored, mandatory cremation ended, access to routine medical care, businesses returned to high gear, and, yes, revival of fun, flirtation, dating, and partying. Those who live in towns that border neighboring countries are eager to reopen trade and marketing, the absence of which has been bankrupting for many subsistence households.