Covid in Ecuador

Ecuador is not the libertarian paradise many from the north think it is (for some unknown reason).

When covid restrictions were in place here, they would have made the restrictions in Canada look like nothing.

Recently just ended a weekend stay at home order. No leaving your house, no going to the shops, no going out for a walk, literally stay in your house friday to monday

Second what user159 said.  Have family in the US that was complaining that they had to wear masks to enter stores (it wasn't even required by the government).  There were a few months when this started where I couldn't even go the the supermarket because it was past a roadblock (in the city whereas I live in the countryside an hour outside the city).  Not that it mattered - ATM was also in another town past another roadblock, so couldn't get cash to buy anything anyway.  There were armed police/military checkpoints on every road and helicopters patrolling the mountains/back roads.  Also, you could only drive/walk into town 1 day a week and curfew was from 2pm to 5am.  Yup.  Not sure what "personal freedoms" you think you are gaining by moving here, but might want to reconsider. 

The only way I'd say there are more personal freedoms is if you choose to live away from everyone else: Outside a city, outside a town, out in the countryside away from most other people.  Out here, you will rarely see police, have minimal contact with the government, and, as long as you mind your business and don't earn any money, the government will pretty much leave you alone (other than requiring you to pay property tax every year and, if you have a car, yearly inspection, registration and vehicle taxes).  But most of that applies if you live in the middle of nowhere in the US or Canada as well.

Freedom is one of those things that is important in different ways to different people. Ecuador is more free in some ways, less free in others. And where those freedoms lay will differ depending on the person.

For example, Ecuador has very restrictive gun laws. If you are a 2nd Amendment type, Ecuador would be intolerably totalitarian. For me, as someone that does not own a weapon, & has no intention of ever buying a weapon, Ecuador's restrictive gun laws have a meaningless impact on my perception of my personal freedoms. For me, while the US is more free objectively in this matter, for me subjectively there is zero difference.

My impression of Ecuador so far is that it is more free in the case that there are fewer "nanny laws" in place, whereas in the US there are far, far more laws in place to protect yourself from your own stupidity. That is a restriction on freedom, to a sense. I had an ex that was also an Ecuadorian, & she used to talk about how they would ride on top of trains, rather than inside. That sort of thing would never fly in the US, & you'd likely get arrested for it. I'm not so sure how true that is today in Ecuador, but just from a casual observance, Ecuador is more free in that sense.

Damon.