Ecuadorians protest against pay cuts amidst COVID-19 economic travails

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By Francis Ogwo

There has been a widespread protest in cities across Ecuador against President Lenin Moreno’s measures in tackling the economic crisis caused by the raging Covid-19.

The President had announced a cut in public spending which included the closure of state companies and embassies around the world, but trade unions in a swift reaction on Monday, said workers were made victims of the situation while the reverse is the case for the elites in the country.

The Head of Unitory Front of Workers(FUT), which is the largest Union in the country said “This protest is because the government is firing workers to avoid making the rich pay.”

Around 2,000 people marched in the capital, waving flags and banners and shouting anti-government slogans.

The protesters of about 2,000 were reported to have worn masks and marched in the capital waving flags and banners while shouting anti-government slogans.

They were also said to have respected distancing measures as recommended containment measure, which has led to about 3,200 deaths in the country, and has ranked it South America’s worst-hit nation per capita.

According to official reports, more than 2,000 further deaths have been traced to coronavirus.

The demonstration took place in cities across the country including Guayaquil, which is according to recent statistics, the epicenter of Ecuador’s health crisis.

President Moreno had made orders, which include the closure of Ecuadoran embassies, reduction of diplomatic staff and scrapping of state companies as part of measures designed to save some $4 billion. This is with the announcement of the liquidation of the TAME airline, which has lost more than $400 million over the last five years.

Government sources say the pandemic has so far cost the economy at least $8 billion with a cut in public sectors working hours by 25% followed by 16% pay cut.

Ecuador has is ranked among the highest numbers of cases in Latin America, mirroring Chile and behind Brazil.

Current reports show that Ecuador has 75 reported deaths making the country the highest in Latin America outside of Brazil.

According to local media reports, authorities in Ecuador’s largest city of Guayaquil, Guayas, are busy evacuating bodies from homes of people who died of likely Covid-19 causes without proper tests, meaning there could be a higher death unrecorded.

According to reports, the increasing cases in Ecuador seems to be seen by the nationals, as worse hitting than bad governance.

President Lenin Moreno has been reported to have taken the threat of coronavirus quite seriously as he acted early to implement quarantine measures and travel restrictions.

The president also increased restrictions recently, even with the virus hitting the country early and having major cities including Guayas as major hit, indicating an overwhelming of the country’s healthcare system.

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