Impacto de la Pandemia del COVID-19 en la Economía Ecuatoriana

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Ecuadorian economy hard, hitting certain key sectors in particular and pushing many households into poverty. This article analyzes pre- and post-crisis economic data, such as GDP, unemployment, and inflation, to accurately quantify its impact. It also investigates the experiences of small businesses, entrepreneurs, public and private officials through qualitative semi-structured interviews, in order to fully understand how the health emergency affected them and the difficulties they had to face. Likewise, it examines the measures adopted by the government to counteract the economic ravages, evaluating their effectiveness in cushioning the blow and laying the foundations for recovery. In addition, this work provides a comprehensive overview of the devastating effects of the pandemic on the local economy and the lessons learned from this ordeal.