QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno has declared a 30-day state of exception in eight of the nation’s 24 provinces, which includes a curfew, because of a spike in coronavirus infections and associated demises.
In current weeks, the capital Quito and the largest city Guayaquil have reported an acceleration of infections, a saturation of public and private hospitals, and a sizable increase in the variety of daily demises from COVID-19.
“I’ve signed Decree 1282 declaring a State of Exception for 30 days within the provinces of Pichincha, Guayas, Manabi, Azuay, Loja, Santo Domingo, El Oro, and Esmeraldas, with a curfew from April 2 to 9 from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.,” Moreno tweeted late on Thursday.
“The pandemic isn’t over, we must take care of ourselves!”
The government stated the curfew seeks to avoid meetings and crowds that can accelerate contagion.
The measure also puts restrictions on transit within the provinces in question. The airports won’t be affected.
In Guayaquil, which last yr suffered one of the worst outbreaks in the area, authorities have stated the coronavirus variant first discovered in Great Britain is already being transmitted locally.
Ecuador has more than 330,000 infections and 16,877 demises confirmed and probable by COVID-19, according to official data posted on Thursday.
