Ecuador announced that it will go into a “social distancing phase” starting on May 4.
In a televised statement Friday, President Lenin Moreno said that to face the crisis “successfully” the country “needs a balance between sanitary measures and an ordered economic reactivation.”
“The indicators on the progress of the pandemic give us encouragement,” Moreno said.
“Ecuador begins the transition from the isolation phase to the social distancing phase. That decision is based on the data,” he added.
Moreno said if cases increase again, and there is a risk of overwhelming the hospitals, he will reverse his decision.
“Be careful, let’s not get confused, the emergency is not over, we are only in a different phase,” he said. “Our monitoring and alert systems will guide us.”
This new phase will not apply to people over 60, people with disabilities, people with chronic diseases and people with diseases that are highly vulnerable against the coronavirus.
Nationwide lockdown, which goes into effect every day at 2 p.m. until 5 a.m. will continue. The government indicated that scheduling to fit industry needs will be revised and expected to be announced in the coming days.
Bars, nightclubs, gyms, theaters, schools and universities will also remain closed.
As of Friday, the government has reported 576 deaths due to Covid-19 and over 1,000 “possible deaths” due to the virus.
