FREETOWN: The three nations at the centre of the west African Ebola outbreak were left increasingly isolated on Wednesday as more airlines suspended flights to the crisis zone.

Air France agreed to Paris’s request for a “temporary suspension” of services to Sierra Leone, leaving its capital Freetown and Monrovia in neighbouring Liberia with just one regular service, from Royal Air Morocco (RAM).

“In light of the analysis of the situation and as requested by the French government, Air France confirms it is maintaining its program of flights to and from Guinea and Nigeria,” the flag carrier said.

Air France’s decision came a day after British Airways said it was suspending flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone until next year due to Ebola concerns.

Authorities are scrambling to contain the worst outbreak of the lethal tropical virus in history, which has killed more than 1,400 people since it erupted in west Africa early this year.

The United Nations’ Ebola envoy David Nabarro on Monday took a swipe at airlines who had cut off Ebola-hit countries by scrapping flights.

“By isolating the country, it makes it difficult for the UN to do its work,” Nabarro told reporters in Freetown on the fifth day of a tour of the region.

“Pilots and others, as well as passengers, generally have very low risk of Ebola infection”, Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s Assistant Director-General on Health Security, told the same news conference.

Brussels Airlines normally runs four flights a week to Liberia and Sierra Leone and three to Guinea, but has also cancelled several services since Saturday due to the closure of the Senegalese border.

The carrier said it would decide on its future schedule this weekend.

The company committed to providing three separate flights to Freetown, Monrovia and Conakry this week in response to passenger demand and to deliver 40 tonnes of medical supplies from the United Nations.

Only RAM has vowed to stick to its normal flight schedule — once a day to Conakry and every other day on average to Monrovia and Freetown.

“Our approach is supportive rather than mercenary,” RAM spokesman Hakim Challot said, adding: “From Casablanca, the take-up of seats to these three countries is extremely low, around 10 per cent”.

NIGERIAN SCHOOLS: UN officials have pledged to step up efforts against the lethal tropical virus, which has infected more than 2,600 and killed 1,427 since the start of the year.

Liberia has been worst hit, with 624 deaths recorded. Guinea, where the outbreak was first detected, has reported 406 deaths, Sierra Leone 392 and Nigeria five, according to the latest WHO figures.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2014