The city of Rio de Janeiro finally decided to suspend its multitudinous New Year party at the arrival of the Barrente ÓMicron de Coronavirus to Brazil, a measure taken by the majority of capital of the country and that adds doubts about the realization of the famous Carnival Carnaval.
"We are going to cancel this way the official celebration of the New Year's party in Rio," said Mayor Eduardo Paes on Twitter.
He added that he took "sadly" the decision to cancel the traditional celebrations with music and fireworks, which each year agglomerate about three million people on the beach of Copacabana, not having "the guarantee of the health authorities", fearful At the arrival of the variant omicron to Brazil. For now, six cases of the new strain in Brazil are confirmed: three in Sao Paulo, two in Brasilia and one in Porto Alegre.
"We respect science. As you are divergent opinions between scientific committees, we will always stay with the most restrictive. The mayor's committee says that you can. The state says no. Then you can not," added the mayor, after a Week of debates between the Cariocas authorities.
On Thursday, Paes expanded to other sectors the requirement of the sanitary passport, adding the requirement to enter beauty salons, restaurants, bars and hotels.
Although there is no fireworks on Copacabana Beach, "the city is still magical, incredible, receptive, beautiful, wonderful. Vaccinated tourists will be very welcome to Rio de Janeiro," Paes said later at a press conference.
Friday was Sao Paulo, the most populous city in Brazil, which canceled end-year celebrations, which meet two million people at the iconic Paulista Avenue.
In total, a score of capital (from 27), including Brasilia and Savior, made the same decision, which brings great economic losses.
As the cases of the omicron variant are multiplied in the world and the main Brazilian cities announce prevention measures, doubts increase on the realization of the famous Brazilian Carnival, especially that of Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the greatest parties of the planet.
"Three months are missing for the carnival (...). I follow science always. I hope you do not have to also cancel the carnival," Paes said at the press conference.
The Mayor has been conditioning the realization of this party for weeks, between February 25 and March 1, to the epidemiological situation in Brazil, which has improved substantially in recent months with the advancement of vaccination (63% of 213 Millions Brazilians are completely vaccinated).
"I think it's fair to cancel carnival, cancel the end of the year, because after that happens all that remains the disease and is complicated for Brazil," the AFP seller ismalael Moreira dos Santos, 59, on the beach of Copacabana.
Until it is said otherwise, the Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro continue their essays and the elaboration of thousands of costumes, masks and the characteristic giant floats that last year no longer came out of the suspension due to Coronavirus.
The Scientific Committee of the nine states in Northeast of Brazil recommended on Friday that the celebrations of Carnival are celebrated in that area, among which there are several famous, such as those of Salvador, Recife and Olinda.
Following the omicron, Brazil closed its aerial borders from Monday to six countries in Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Esuatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe).
Brazil accumulates more than 615,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, the second country with more deceased in absolute numbers after the United States.
Date Of Update: 08 December 2021, 02:59
