Ecuadorian cities cancel holiday celebrations as COVID-19 cases rise

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, November 18, 2020
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QUITO, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Ecuador's two largest cities, Quito and Guayaquil, on Tuesday announced the cancellation of Christmas and New Year's celebrations due to a sustained increase in novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

The mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, said the city decided to suspend all mass gatherings in December.

"The opening of boardwalks, parks, etc., was suspended for Christmas and the New Year. We also suspended all the events that we determined were going to cause crowds," such as parades, Viteri told reporters.

Guayaquil, capital of southwest Guayas province and an economic center of the country, reported 16,075 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, and in recent days, an increase in people testing positive in seven areas of the city.

Controlling the pandemic "is a never-ending job," Viteri said, warning against clandestine parties and social gatherings in houses, which are a source of crowds and transmission.

In Quito, the current epicenter of the virus in Ecuador, officials also decided to suspend all mass public gatherings in December, including celebrations marking the founding of the city, Christmas and the New Year.

"We have decided to suspend issuing permits for the use of public space, gastronomic events, competitions and other events that involve crowds," the deputy mayor of Quito, Santiago Guarderas, told local television.

Quito has reported 59,579 cases of COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Health.

Nationwide, 181,104 people have tested positive for the virus and 13,025 have died from the disease. Enditem

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