The Church’s response to
Covid-19 in Ecuador
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| A body lies outside a clinic in Guayaquil, Ecuador (AFP) |
A Comboni missionary in Ecuador describes how the
coronavirus emergency is overwhelming society in Guayaquil. The dead accumulate
in the streets, people are hungry, and it is impossible to maintain quarantine
in the poorest areas.
By Vatican News
Father José Barranco is a Comboni missionary based in
Ecuador, the Latin American nation most affected by the coronavirus. Speaking
to Vatican News, he describes the situation in Guayaquil, a port city of 2.3
million inhabitants, and home to almost half of the 2,700 positive cases of
Covid-19 in the country.
The situation throughout Ecuador is very difficult, he says,
“but in Guayaquil it is catastrophic”.
Double emergency
The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a double health
emergency in Ecuador: firstly, because the health system has collapsed, and
secondly because the bodies of the dead are accumulating in houses and streets,
waiting to be taken to the cemetery.
Ecuador’s President, Lenin Moreno, has confirmed that around
150 bodies are collected daily from homes and public spaces. But this is not
enough. Morgues are full and many funeral homes refuse to provide mortuary
services for fear of contagion.
Not enough
The health system can't cope because medical equipment and
staff are lacking. Doctors and nurses are working up to 16 hours a day, doing
double shifts.
The extent of the epidemic is partly due to the population
not adhering to government instructions to stay at home, says Fr Barranco. But
in the vast poverty-stricken areas of Guayaquil it is difficult to impose
quarantine. A house is often just one room, he says, “where three, four or even
five people live together, and there is little food. What are they supposed to
do?”.
Everyone is trying to respond as best they can, says Fr
Barranco. But whatever the government, the Church, or medical personnel try to
do in this situation, “is not enough”.
The Church’s response
Fr Barranco says the Catholic Church is offering both
physical and spiritual support to those in need. He gives the example of a hospital
run by the Guayaquil Archdiocese. The structure does not have the capacity to
assist Covid-19 sufferers, but it does admit patients with other pathologies.
This helps alleviate some of the pressure from the public
health care system. The same hospital is also providing medical advice through
a telephone service.
Faith and hope
Local Catholic parishes are working with the government on
its "Together we feed more people" program. They act as collection
and distribution points for food rations which are vital at this time, as many
people are suffering from hunger.
Fr Barranco is also Director of the National Catholic Radio
in the capital city of Quito. He says these same parishes are providing
liturgies and moments of prayer through the media. All of these gestures, he
concludes, aim to "sow faith and hope".
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