CuencaHighLife

Optimism that the spread of the Covid-19 virus was slowing in Ecuador was dashed Tuesday as the country recorded its highest single-day infection rate yet. The count of 336 followed those of 89 and 42 on Sunday and Monday. Health Minister Juan Carlos Zevallos offered no explanation for the spike at his news conference but...

Ecuador officials said Tuesday they are speeding up the collection of corpses in Guayaquil as delays related to the coronavirus epidemic have left families keeping their loved ones’ bodies in their homes for days. In some cases, bodies have been moved to sidewalks and in others neighbors burn tires in the street to mask the...

For the second consecutive day, the number of new Covid-19 cases in Ecuador was down sharply. Monday’s count of 42 followed Sunday’s of 89, well below the previous week’s daily average of almost 200. The Ministry of Health also reported that the number of deaths from the virus has risen to 62. In a morning...

By Jocelyn Timperley As the coronavirus pandemic continued to escalate around the world, a more localized emergency has unfolded in the Ecuadorian Amazon. After a day and a night of extreme rainfall at its headwaters, the Bobonaza River, which passes through a mosaic of indigenous towns and villages near Ecuador’s border with Peru, was rising...

Medical experts are cautiously optimistic that Ecuador’s restriction on personal movement is slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Sunday’s new case total of 89 was the lowest since March 18, following Saturday’s count of 208. “It is far too early to establish a trend — and Sunday’s 89 cases may be an outlier — but...

On March 16, the day Ecuador’s Covid-19 virus case count reached 58, President Lenin Moreno declared a national health emergency, or emergencia sanitaria, and imposed Latin America’s toughest social distancing rules. Since the 60-day emergency decree was issued, the number of confirmed cases in Ecuador has soared to 1,835 and could approach 2,000 when Sunday’s...