QUITO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador has registered 100,688 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), with 6,065 deaths, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday.
According to the ministry, 1,279 new cases and 35 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.
The province of Pichincha, where the capital of Quito is located, is the current epicenter of the disease, with 20,304 cases, followed by the province of Guayas, with 18,289 cases.
Quito has reported an explosion in cases recently, which authorities say is the result of the relaxation of restrictions at the beginning of June and residents' inattention to preventive health measures.
The president of the Ecuadoran Medical Federation, Santiago Carrasco, said it was a "mistake" to relax quarantine measures in the country as it "led people to relax, to go out into the streets without co-responsibility to maintain isolation, to wear a mask, to be able to contain infections."
In an attempt to control the pandemic, the government has begun to implement new "case-finding strategies," which include an increased level of testing in highly affected areas.
Additionally, on Friday, the government renewed restrictions on mobility, including a curfew, for another 30 days and requested the nation's armed forces to assist in enforcing the measure. Enditem
