Ecuador has put into effect this Sunday its fourth curfew period so far this year. On this occasion, the measure will last for ten days, from November 1 to 10, and will affect five provinces on the Ecuadorian coast. It is part of the "special operations" announced a few weeks ago by President Daniel Noboa to try to curb the high levels of crime suffered by the country.
The new curfew applies in the provinces of Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro and Esmeraldas, and began this Sunday, November 1, at 00.00 hours (local time), extending until Tuesday, November 10. In practice, the restriction is in force from midnight until 05.00 hours (local time), as reported by the Ecuadorian newspaper 'El Comercio'.
The decree signed by Noboa suspends freedom of movement during that time slot in the five provinces, although it provides for exceptions and specific checks to address situations of need or emergency. At the same time, it instructs the authorities to guarantee the continuity of public services, the functioning of the Administration of Justice and of strategic sectors, in order to ensure the mobility of personnel, vehicles and operations linked to emergency care.
The seven provinces of the Ecuadorian coast are the ones that have spent the most time subject to states of exception decreed by the Government to confront criminality, with successive curfews and military deployments on a recurring basis.
According to the president himself, these measures have had an effect, since "people feel calmer" and, thanks to these restrictions, a 40% decrease in the number of crimes would have been recorded, as well as a decline in extortion cases.
With this new provision, there are now four curfews applied so far in 2026. It also comes just one month after the last one, which was imposed in the provinces of Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro, territories that have endured almost continuously the mobility restrictions and states of exception since January 2024.