Assessing the COVID-19 impact on air quality in Quito, Ecuador

The COVID-19 lockdown impact on air quality is estimated for Andean city - Quito. This data set includes hourly data for a number of sites (urban: Bel, Car, Cam; and suburban: Cot, Gua, Chi) in the Ecuadorian capital for atmospheric and meteorological parameters. The changes in pollution are quantified, showing that during the full lockdown (16 March - 1 June, 2020), air pollution decreased by -53%, -45%, -30%, and -15% for NO2, SO2, CO, and PM2.5, respectively. The traffic-busy districts (Bel and Cot) were the most affected. However, the air pollution starts increasing during the later stages of the full lockdown. Even more, during the partial relaxation (starting on 2 June, 2020), the concentrations nearly return to the pre-pandemic levels.