COVID-19: Ecuadorians Protest Job Cuts

Not less than 2,000 Ecuadorians stormed the streets on Monday in protest against the desperate move by President Lenin Moreno in his bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and tackle the country's economic challenges.

Last week, the president said that the government would reduce public spending, adding that Ecuadorian embassies in different countries will be closed down, including the closure of state companies.

Head of the Unitary Front of Workers (FUT) Mecias Tatamuez, said, “This protest is because the government is firing workers to avoid making the rich pay."

With respect to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding behavior in public places, the protesters donned face masks and kept a safe distance from each other.

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Ecuador has recorded 3,200 death from the coronavirus, with 2,000 more deaths connected to the disease.

The protests spilled across cities, including Ecuador's coronavirus epicentre, Guayaquil.

Moreno has taken some drastic steps in a bid to save the country some $4 billion. He has ordered the closure of Ecuadorian embassies across the world, liquidated TAME airline, that has struggled to its losses, and the scrapping of seven state companies.

The Ecuadorian economy, largely dependent on oil, had been on shaky ground before the outbreak, with a grim prediction by IMF that the country's economy was set to contract by 6.3 percent.

According to Moreno, due to the outbreak, 150,000 people have been rendered unemployed, and that the country had lost $8 billion.