Sent home by Ebola

Last weekend I got home after spending much of the previous month working in Guinea (a railway is planned from Simandou in the east of the country across to the coast in the west and we were carrying out the preliminary geotechnical investigations). The plan had been to remain in country into November but unfortunately the worsening Ebola crisis cut short this phase of the project, at least until the crisis abates.   

While we expats got to go home to our own ebola free countries our thoughts are with our Guinean colleagues who have returned home to their towns and villages in many of which Ebola continues to be a threat. 

The Golder Crew at Simandou (except Des, sorry Des!)

The Golder and Rio geology crews (again no Des though)

One thing that the news reports on the Ebola crisis don't seem to get across is that, at least in Guinea, life goes on.  While at hotels and the airport guards take peoples temperatures to screen for the disease the streets of the capital, Conakry, and of smaller towns seemed as busy and chaotic as normal.  People aren't hiding in their homes, for the most part they are out living and getting on with their lives.  Ebola is a scary disease but in truth its quite difficult to catch and some very basic precautions make it even less likely to be transmitted.

So here's hoping that, with the developed world's help, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia can get on top of this outbreak before it gets too much worse (and it will get worse before it gets better).