Ecuador’s President Tests Positive for COVID-19

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso has tested positive for COVID-19, one day after the country surpassed 900,000 confirmed cases, according to the government.

A local newspaper mentioned that Lasso, 66, who was committed to the Carondelet Palace, did not show any symptoms of the virus.

The paper indicated that the president contracted the virus on the 10th day of the protests sweeping the country against the economic management of the executive branch, organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), which left 2 dead and at least 100 others were wounded.

Lasso was waiting for the response of CONAIE’s President Leonidas Iza, to hold a conversation and discuss the demands of the indigenous people, which include lowering and freezing prices for all fuels, controlling prices for basic products, the government’s commitment not to privatize state companies and not to extend or grant new mining and oil concession in the Amazon region.

On Wednesday, the Ecuadorian president announced imposing a state of emergency in three provinces, including the province that has the capital, Quito, against the backdrop of violence in the indigenous protests in the country.

In a speech broadcast on national television, Lasso also announced a set of economic measures in response to the demands of various segments for various measures to ease the economic and social crisis in the country.