Security personnel wearing face masks walk past a hospital in Quito, Ecuador, March 17, 2020. (Photo by Santiago Armas/Xinhua)

The Ecuadoran Ministry of Public Health on Saturday raised the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus to 3,465, with 172 deaths.

Vice Minister of Health Ernesto Carrasco stated that in the last 24 hours, 97 new cases and 27 new deaths were reported.

Carrasco noted that of the total number of confirmed cases nationwide, 2,402 have been reported in the southwestern province of Guayas, the epicenter of COVID-19 in the country.

Ecuador is one of the countries most affected by the virus in Latin America and is currently in a state of emergency.

In order to stop the spread of the disease, starting April 6, new mobility restrictions will be put into place that will allow vehicles to run only one day per week depending on their license plate number. With certain exceptions, no vehicles will be allowed to run on weekend.