COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador
The COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was reported to have spread to Ecuador on 29 February 2020, when a woman in her 70s tested positive for the virus. Ecuador was described in April as emerging as a possible "epicentre" of the pandemic in Latin America,[5] with the city of Guayaquil overwhelmed to the point where bodies were being left in the street.[6]
As of April 2020, Ecuador has been distributing cardboard coffins due to the country's struggle in evacuating the dead bodies.[7][8] The government built emergency cemeteries to dispose of the bodies which are left in the streets.[9] The pandemic, which led to a fall in oil prices, had severe economic repercussions for the country.[10]
The number of deaths is believed to be significantly higher than the official figure due to a low rate of testing, with thousands of excess deaths reported compared to the equivalent figure for a normal period.[11][12] An analysis by The New York Times found that 7,600 excess deaths had occurred from 1 March 2020 to 15 April 2020 as the mortality rate spiked to three times as much as usual, indicating that the official death toll at the time was an underestimate by 15 times; a later analysis showed 36,200 excess deaths between March and September, over three times the official number of COVID-19 deaths.[13][14]
On May 14, 2020, it was reported that 40 protesters peacefully protested against the government for improper handling of the bodies of people who died due to COVID-19 and providing insufficient funds for the pandemic. The police charged on the demonstrators and injured them in the process.[15]
Economic impact[edit]
The government is paying informal workers $60 per month to stay at home. An estimated 500,000 Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador are especially vulnerable because they do not have access to the stimulus payments.[63] The country was already in economic difficulties before the pandemic, but the COVID-19 pandemic and fall in oil prices during the pandemic had led to severe economic problems in the country. All government officials and teachers had been asked to take a pay cut, a number of national companies such as the national airline TAME were liquidated, and Ecuador was unable to pay its foreign debt. The budget deficit for 2020 is expected to be at least $12bn, which is about 11 per cent of Ecuador's gross domestic product.[10] A law to make labour law more flexible was also passed.[64] Government announcement of cuts has led to protests by demonstrators.[65]
The poverty rate reached 32.4 percent in December 2020 (up 7.4 percentage points from December 2019) according to government data. The recession in 2020 is estimated at 10 percent.[66]
