Ecuador announces curfew, curbs as COVID again overwhelms hospitals
April 21, 2021
9:24 PM CDT
Reuters
2 minutes read
Ecuador on Wednesday implemented a nighttime curfew and other mobility restrictions as a spike in coronavirus cases again overwhelms hospitals in the Andean country, which in 2020 experienced one of the region's worst COVID-19 outbreaks.
In 16 of the country's 24 provinces, only workers in the healthcare, food and other sectors deemed essential will be allowed to circulate over weekends and during evenings from Monday through Thursday, according to the decree signed by President Lenin Moreno.
The measures will take effect on Friday and last for 28 days.
The new restrictions come as tents hospitals are maintaining waitlists for a bed and setting up tents outdoor to attend to a surge in coronavirus patients, part of a resurgence in the virus across Latin America as several countries' vaccination programs have gotten off to slow starts. read more
Ecuador, which has reported 362,000 COVID-19 cases and 17,804 deaths, is currently vaccinating only the elderly, police, members of the military and teachers. Moreno has pledged to accelerate inoculation.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ecuador-announces-curfew-curbs-covid-again-overwhelms-hospitals-2021-04-22/
