QUITO, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian authorities on Thursday announced new measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
"We have a clear goal: to achieve the lowest rate of transmission of the virus and thereby save the greatest number of lives," said Rommel Salazar, general director of the National Risk and Emergency Management Service, during a virtual press conference.
The new measures prohibit vehicles from traveling nationwide on Dec. 24, 25 and 31, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2021.
In addition, vehicles will be barred from circulating in the capital Quito on Dec. 5 and 6, the dates when the founding of the city is to be celebrated. Quito is the current epicenter of the national outbreak, with 60,470 cases.
Other steps include restricting liquor sales at public venues, keeping bars and nightclubs closed, and banning mass gatherings.
Ecuador has registered 183,246 cases of COVID-19, after reporting 996 new cases on Thursday, with a total of 13,073 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. Enditem
