In Ecuador, Covid-19 is leaving a literal trail of bodies

One cannot say that authorities in Ecuador are downplaying the Covid-19 outbreak. On national television, viewers are fed constant warnings in block orange letters at the bottom of the screen reading “stay at home!” All government communications have sent similar messages — alongside deliberately gruesome pieces of news to shock citizens into social distancing. And in the country’s largest city Guayaquil, the mayor filled an airport runway with cars, motorcycles, and trucks in order to stop a plane from Spain landing, fearing contamination.

Still, however, Ecuador has witnessed war-like scenes as Covid-19 spreads around the country.

The country’s Health Ministry has so far confirmed 79 coronavirus-related deaths, almost half of all deaths reported in Brazil — a country with a population almost 13 times larger.

Guayaquil is quickly becoming the epicenter of the most visible effects of the coronavirus tragedy in Latin America. To the point that municipal officials have decided to open several mass graves to deal with a continuously growing body count.

President Lenín Moreno announced the creation of a task force to give dignified burials to all victims, forcing municipal authorities to step back and defend the use of individual graves for all deceased citizens. According...