QUITO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador registered 1,148 new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 115,457, the Ministry of Public Health said on Wednesday.
The official death toll stands at 6,619, though another 3,743 deaths in the past five months are suspected of being COVID-19 related, but have not been verified.
The north-central province of Pichincha, where the capital Quito is located, is the current epicenter of the national outbreak, with 24,331 cases, including 21,957 in Quito.
Despite the high level of infections in Quito, interprovincial transport in the city resumed on Wednesday after being suspended since March 17 due to the health emergency of COVID-19.
Ecuador began to gradually lift preventive isolation measures and social restrictions on June 1 in order to reactivate the economy, and on Sept. 12, it will enter a new stage without restrictions on mobility or gatherings. Enditem
