Ecuador Announces 14 Day Quarantine for Seven Countries

As of today, there are 19 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ecuador (up from 15 on March 8) and no reported fatalities. There are no confirmed cases of the disease in the Galapagos Islands at this time. 

On March 11, Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno declared a national health emergency on live television in the wake of the World Health Organization's declaration that COVID-19 is officially a global pandemic. 

He outlined a plan to deal with the crisis within Ecuador, including increased security controls at the Guayaquil and Quito airports and a mandatory 14-day isolation period upon arrival for any passenger, regardless of nationality, who has been to one of the following seven countries in the past 14 days: China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, Germany and France. The new isolation policy is set to begin on March 13. 

The Ecuadorian government will continue its arrival protocols at the country's two international airports, including requiring all passengers to fill out a health and travel questionnaire and screening passengers for COVID-19 symptoms.

In keeping with the new federal policy, the Galapagos Governing Council also announced that beginning on March 13, all travelers, regardless of citizenship or country of residence, who have visited one of the seven countries listed above will be denied entry to the islands unless they have completed 14 days of isolation. In addition, passengers who are traveling to the Galapagos will undergo additional health screenings before boarding their flights from the mainland to the islands. 

The Ministry of Public Health also announced that there are 22 isolation units up and running in Ecuador's main cities, including Quito and Guayaquil, and that virus testing kits are available. 

For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Ecuador and other countries, visit the CDC's coronavirus travel page.