Ecuador lifts indoor and outdoor mask mandates

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Ecuador will immediately lift mask mandates for both indoor and outdoor spaces thanks to significant gains made against coronavirus, President Guillermo Lasso said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The decision is based on vaccination figures of 87 per cent for those aged 3 and over and Covid-19 test positivity rates of just 5 per cent, he said, as well as an effort to give second booster shots to adults.

"From today in Ecuador it will cease to be obligatory to use a face mask in open and closed spaces in all national territory," said Lasso. "It is a clear indicator that we have practically beaten Covid-19."

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals has fallen drastically, he added, as has the number of deaths from the virus.

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