FREETOWN, Sierra Leone >> Sierra Leone authorities say they are planning a two-week “lockdown,” hoping to halt the spread of Ebola in one district in the country’s east.

Emmanuel Lebbie, an official in diamond-rich Kono district in eastern Sierra Leone, said the lockdown began Wednesday and will last until Dec. 23.

The action is being taken by local authorities after the district recorded seven confirmed cases on Tuesday.

While people can move within the district, people will not be allowed to enter or leave.

More than 6,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa over the last year, including more than 1,500 in Sierra Leone.

Earlier this year, authorities held a lockdown in the capital that kept people inside their homes for several days in a bid to stop Ebola’s spread.