Ecuador on Tuesday banned the organization of processions and parties in public spaces for Christmas and New Year celebrations due to an increase in Covid-19 cases, Health Minister Ximena Garzón announced.
“In public spaces, (there will be) a ban on events such as concerts, children's parties, processions and novenas,”
she told a press conference.
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Health authorities have also reduced the capacity of exhibition centers, churches and shopping centers to 75% for this period.
As for restaurants, the capacity is increased to 50% and a certificate of vaccination against Covid-19 must be presented.
These measures were taken after a
"significant"
increase
in
the number of cases, the minister said.
Most of the new cases were reported in the coastal provinces of Guayas and Manabí, and in the Andean province of Pichincha, where the capital Quito is located.
The Andean nation, which was one of the first foci of the pandemic in the region, has 533,588 cases and 33,562 deaths since February 2020, when the first infection was detected.
At least 12 of the country's 17.7 million people have completed their immunization programs and more than 700,000 have received a third booster dose.