Raúl Delgado, Mayor Paute and president of the Association of Municipalities of Ecuador (AME), reported that more than 115 municipal officials, nationwide, have died from Covid19, as a result of being on the streets working every day.
He also reported that there are 18 infected mayors and a deceased vice mayor, who in fulfillment of their duty have contracted the virus, since there are still citizens on the streets who do not accept isolation because they do not have food and decide to go out to work informally at the cost of his health: “Now we have to go out with food to face this situation.”
In this context, he stated that the National Government’s announcement about linking the mayors in decision-making is not something new, but simply becomes official since from day one, municipal officials have taken to the streets: “Facing the pandemic taking resolutions through the Cantonal COE, on mobility, public services, markets, security, we have all faced with and without resources ”.
He explained that after the meeting of mayors it was decided to continue with the isolation for two more weeks and after that to evaluate the behavior of the virus week by week: “It is risky to want to go away, a re-emergence of the virus would cause 60 more days of isolation so we believe it is better to stay a few more days to control this situation. “
Delgado stressed that the mayors do not know exact figures of the infections in their cities, much less the actual number of deaths at the national level: “That has to be known before going to a distance.”
On this basis, he requested that the Ministry of Health undertake to carry out daily medical evaluations of municipal officials who go out to work, in waste collections for example, as well as that the National Government take actions with the Comptroller’s Office so that the competencies that are They are taking over the councils and they are not their responsibility: “At the end of the year we do not want to end up full of glosses because we are waiting for the hospitals, the police and the military to deliver food and protection.”
On the other hand, he urged to deliver the resources that the central regime has yet to deliver and that total USD393 million for the months of February, March and April: “VAT refunds are also pending. We have seen that the Minister of Finance talks about a loan for 700 million coming that will allow to refresh the coffers of the councils ”.
In any case, he clarified that the mayors will make decisions to safeguard lives and not by political or electoral calculations: “The outbreak said the Minister of Health is coming and we have to prepare ourselves, because we are putting in conditions that the economic is more important than life of people, but for the mayors the most important thing is to save as many lives, especially the community contagion in Guayaquil and Quito that has become uncontrollable. “
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