Photos: Ecuadoreans protest against government reforms amid COVID-19

An anti-government protest erupted in the Ecuadorean capital Quito on May 25, as demonstrators defied coronavirus restrictions to march against President Lenin Moreno's drastic economic measures to tackle the pandemic. Amid pay cuts and job loses due to the Covid-19 crisis, the already struggling Ecuadorian economy is eyeing the sharpest drop this year due to the virus.

Updated on: May 27, 2020 11:02 AM IST

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A protester holds a flare during a workers’ unions protest against government reforms to fight the economic and health crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador on May 25. (Dolores Ochoa / AP)

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Around 2,000 people marched in the capital, waving flags and banners and shouting anti-government slogans. Ecuador has so far reported 37,355 cases and 3,203 deaths due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19). (Cristina Vega Rhor / AFP)

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A protester charges against the riot police during the protest. The government says the pandemic has so far cost the economy at least $8 billion. President Lenin Moreno added on May 24 that 150,000 people had lost their jobs because of the virus, reported AFP. (Dolores Ochoa / AP)

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A protester carries an image of Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno depicted as a clown with coronavirus-like spikes around his face. Moreno last week announced public spending cuts including the closure of state companies and embassies around the world, but trade unions on May 25, said workers were paid a disproportionate price compared to Ecuador’s elite. (Dolores Ochoa / AP)

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Protesters drag effigies of Finance Minister Richard Martinez, President Lenin Moreno and the Minister of Interior Maria Paula Romo during the protest. Worker unions said the government reforms include shortening workdays from 8 to 6 hours, thus lowering pay, and criticized that the new laws benefit employers over workers. (Dolores Ochoa / AP)

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A protester pulls back a fence placed by police blocking other protesters from getting closer to the government palace during a protest against government reforms that aim to fight the economic and health crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador on May 20. (Dolores Ochoa / AP)

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A protester wearing a face shield holds an Ecuadorean flag during the protest. Ecuador was already struggling economically before the pandemic hit, due to high debt and its dependence on oil. The IMF predicts that the economy will shrink by 6.3 percent this year, the sharpest drop of any country in South America. (Cristina Vega Rhor / AFP)