The U.S. consulate and embassy in Ecuador recently issued an advisory, saying, "U.S. citizens wishing to depart Ecuador should do so as soon as possible.  If you choose not to depart at this time, you should be prepared to remain in Ecuador for an extended period."

The advisory lists a handful of specific potential flights out of the country, with a caution to be aware of the curfew in effect from 2:00 pm until 5:00 A.M.!

It could be worse: you could be an American stuck in Venezuela.  A Venezuelan friend of mine said all flights out of Venezuela have been shut down for weeks.  The main airport in Caracas, the Simon Bolivar International Airport (commonly referred to as Maiquetia), is completely closed.  Gasoline for civilians is in extremely short supply, not to mention longstanding shortages of food and medicine.

Nearby Colombia is much more stable, but even so, a couple of weeks ago, the principal Colombian airline, Avianca Air, filed for bankruptcy.  Avianca is one of the oldest airlines in the world with a significant presence in Miami, and it has served as an important link among countries all over South America.

The situation in Ecuador makes one wonder about the seriousness of the fallout from COVID-19 in other countries that we may not be hearing about.  Question for our vaunted media outlets: Wherefore art thou?