Police in Sierra Leone have fired tear gas into a crowd fighting over food supplies as the government is desperately trying to stamp out the Ebola epidemic once and for all.

The government has instituted a three-day national lockdown in order to accelerate the end of the Ebola epidemic, which has killed 3,000 people out of 12,000 cases since the outbreak began last year, according to a Reuters report.

Cases have fallen heavily since its peak of 500 a week in December, but the government wants to end Ebola to prevent it from resurging and put in place the second lockdown of the epidemic, ordering 6 million people to stay indoors or be arrested as health officials go door-to-door looking for any patients that are being hidden, as well as educating residents on how to be on the lookout for the disease, according to the report.

In order to comply with the lcokdown, residents were told to stock up on food and water, but many had already run out on the second day of the lockdown. Officials had begun to distribute supplies in some areas, causing hundreds to leave their homes, resulting in a fight breaking out when some complained they didn’t get any food, causing the police to step in and use tear gas.

Meanwhile, in other parts of Freetown where the Ebola epidemic has been at its worst, residents ignored the walkdown and searched for supplies on the streets.

Charities have spoken out against lockdowns, calling them counter-productive and causing the very thing the government is trying to avoid: societal unrest.

However, some officials, including an emergency health coordinator with the Red Cross who was quoted in the report, say the campaign has been showing some progress, with people receiving messages about Ebola prevention and identification, as well as soap.