The Ecuadorian government asked municipalities on Friday to close cemeteries from October 30 and until the day after Day of the Dead in order to avoid regrouping of people and the spread of Covid-19.
"Caution and responsibility are key to avoid contamination of # Covid19 and consolidate economic reactivation"
, tweeted the director of the National Risk Management Service, Rommel Salazar, asking
"to keep cemeteries closed from October 30 to 3 November".
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Ecuadorians have the habit of playing serenades on the graves of their loved ones on November 2, Day of the Dead, during which crowded masses are organized in cemeteries.
In rural areas or areas with large indigenous populations, it is common for entire families to gather there to share a meal and a traditional black corn drink.
Ecuador, populated by 17.5 million inhabitants, has more than 156,400 cases of the new coronavirus, including 12,500 confirmed and probable deaths, since the detection of the virus in the country on February 29.