Ecuadorians will return to the office starting from July 1, after more than a year of working from home due to COVID-19, Labor Minister Patricio Donoso said Thursday.

Donoso announced the decision at a joint press conference with authorities from the national Emergency Operations Committee (COE), the agency handling the country's response to the health crisis.

By June 25, the labor ministry has to present the COE with a plan based on recommendations from the two committees' technical teams, said Donoso, adding the public must help to ensure a safe return to offices since the pandemic is not over.

"We cannot be careless or let our guard down. These decisions regarding the return to the office must be combined with the support of citizens to continue taking care of themselves. But, of course, we must reactivate work, (and) reactivate the economy," Donoso said.

All civil servants have been working from home since March 2020, when lockdown measures were adopted to stop the spread of the disease.

Education workers were also working remotely, though some voluntarily returned to the classroom in early June as part of a plan to gradually resume face-to-face classes.

As of Thursday, Ecuador has registered 442,341 cases of COVID-19 infection and 15,593 deaths, according to the ministry of public health.