The use of the mask in open spaces comes to an end in Ecuador

President Guillermo Lasso plans to announce at 5:00 p.m. on April 28, 2022 the elimination of the use of masks, a garment that has been mandatory for the last two years.

The mask was used for two years in open and closed spaces by order of the COE.

After the sustained reduction in COVID-19 infections, the Emergency Operations Committee (COE)  will dictate new measures for the use of the mask in closed spaces such as public transport or shopping centers.

With this decision, Ecuador, one of the countries with the highest vaccination rate in Latin America, joins the decision that has already been adopted by other nations.

In the Latin American panorama there are cases like the Nicaraguan one, where the mask was never mandatory. In Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica it is already allowed to take it off in open spaces, with restrictions on public transport.

The Government of Paraguay lifted the health emergency in April and ended the mandatory use of the mask due to the decrease in infections and deaths from the virus.