Citizens, especially youth groups, gathered in the street to celebrate. Some did not even wear masks or maintain physical distancing.
Drafting-Ambato
Embracing, jumping together, singing and shouting even without masks were dozens of young people who gathered in the Ficoa sector, in Ambato, to say goodbye to 2021 and to receive 2022.
This is how they celebrated the festivities, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the omicron mutation present in Ecuador and already contagious in the community. In videos on social networks, the behavior of this group of citizens was also seen.
But not the only one. The so-called widows (men who disguise themselves as the widows of the old year) did not respect biosanitary measures or the prohibition of doing mass shows. They did choreographies that hindered vehicular traffic in different sectors of Ambato, where many gathered around them, despite the controls that the authorities warned for these dates.
In Ambato and in other towns in the province of Tungurahua, there were crowds, massive private parties and other clandestine celebrations. Some were closed.
Therefore, hours before the end of 2021, the Tungurahua Police Intendant, Diego Proaño, stated that there was dismay and despair because they saw that citizens did not respect the provisions, despite the operations and controls that were carried out at the end of the year so that the provisions of the national and cantonal Emergency Operations Committees (COE) are complied with to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections.
In different sectors of the province, people were evicted and around 37 parties and other clandestine events were suspended.
Proaño considered that despite the first effort they made from the night of Thursday the 30th to the early morning of Friday the 31st, they did not even cover 50% of the events that were carried out.
He lamented the lack of awareness on the part of a group of citizens who, apparently, do not care about the spread of the virus because they crowd together and do not even wear masks. There is also no distancing and they consume alcohol on public roads, despite being prohibited.
Dozens of citizens burned puppets in the beach area in Salinas, despite restrictions
He said that unfortunately as many of these acts took place in private spaces, the only thing he did was evict and confiscate the equipment with which the events were animated. The premises that do not comply with the provisions will be closed immediately.
On Friday the 32nd, from 06:00, a coordinated operation began between different institutions in order to avoid crowds, informal sales, and insecurity in the central area of Ambato.
Colonel Manuel Samaniego, commander of zone 3 of the National Police, assured that the joint activity was part of the commitment to attend to citizen security and public order, for which all police services were available.
They, with the accompaniment of municipal personnel, also prevented informal merchants from causing agglomerations with their activities, which obstruct the streets and avenues.
As part of that operation, bags, suitcases and wallets were also searched, as well as suspicious people.
At night, the controls were going to be intensified, which included the places of entertainment.
Samaniego pointed out that with the patrollers and uniformed personnel, security will not be neglected in the neighborhoods, citadels and places on the peripheries of the provinces of zone 3, Tungurahua, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and Pastaza. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
