QUITO, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Ecuadorean government reported on Wednesday that the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 had risen to 88,866, with 5,847 deaths.
Additionally, the Ministry of Public Health reported that 903 new cases and 39 more deaths were registered in the last 24 hours.
The southwest province of Guayas has been the most heavily affected by the pandemic, with 17,669 cases and 1,658 deaths, followed by Pichincha province, with 15,542 cases and 746 deaths, most of which have occurred in the capital city of Quito.
Quito has been downgraded to yellow on the country's epidemiological traffic light system since June 3, which allowed for the lifting of some restrictions and a relaxation of the quarantine, which, according to officials, caused a spike in cases.
Ecuador began on Wednesday to reopen some of its national beaches as part of the government's plan to reactivate the weakened tourism sector, though ultimately the decision is subject to local authorities.
Ecuador, which began to gradually relax restrictions on June 1, is working towards reactivating the national economy, which has been severely affected by the pandemic. Enditem
