Ecuador will immediately lift mask mandates for both indoor and outdoor spaces thanks to significant gains made against COVID-19, President Guillermo Lasso said on Thursday (April 28).
“From today in Ecuador it will cease to be obligatory to use a face mask in open and closed spaces in all national territory,” said Lasso. “It is a clear indicator that we have practically beaten COVID-19.”
The decision is based on vaccination figures of 87% for those aged 3 and over and SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rates of just 5%, he said, as well as an effort to give second booster shots to adults. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals has fallen drastically, he added, as has the number of deaths from the virus.
Ecuador has gradually rolled back restrictions put in place because of COVID-19, but still requires visitors to present either a record of vaccination or a negative PCR test.