(Quito, Pichincha 13.03.2020).- After the declaration of Health Emergency by the National Government, the Ministry of Tourism calls for calm to those who visit Ecuador and describes the actions issued for travel industry.

On Wednesday, March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic and President Lenin Moreno established the Emergency, therefore this State bureau activated the Institutional Contingency Plan.

In accordance with the provisions of Acuerdo Interministerial traducido, between the Ministries of Government and Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, visitors arriving from the Chinese provinces of Hubei and Guangdong; and from Spain, Iran, France, South Korea, Italy and Germany, they must comply with a mandatory 14-day preventive isolation process. This quarantine will apply starting 00:00 on Friday, March 13, 2020. This measure also applies to passengers who have been at airports in France and Spain, in transit or stopover.

This isolation must applied in the city of arrival in Ecuador, in accommodations or in homes of the visitor’s relatives or friends. The information of each traveler, including the place where they should comply the 14-day quarantine, must be reported to the Ministry of Public Health for the monitoring. The expenses generated by accommodation means will be covered by the travelers.

This Minister of State clarifies that trips to Ecuador are not suspended. International airports are normally operating, and no flight delays or cancellations have been reported due to the COVID-19 emergency.

To ensure the integrity of visitors who enter the country, the Ministry of Tourism developed three action protocols for accommodation establishments, operators and tourist transport vessels (maritime and fluvial).

In addition, as a permanent rule of mandatory compliance, each tourist must provide personal information to fill a registration book with the addresses of accommodation.

As part of the measures to prevent the spread of the virus, massive public events that summon more than 250 people who, among them, are less than two meters away, have been suspended throughout the national territory. In addition, the authorities recommend to avoid high-demand crowded events.

Other prevention measures include periodical cleansing and sanitation processes carried out in all country’s passenger terminals.

Under these characteristics, in Ecuador tourist activities continue: the national parks and reserves are open, the roads are fully enabled to move freely to all cities within the territory, and the destinations are open.

The Ministry of Tourism reminds all visitors that in case of any emergency or concern about health issues, lines 171 and 911 are available. We make a call to all citizens and foreigners to stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreaks through official sources only and to remain calm to better overcome this global health emergency.