During a meeting between the Scientific Committee, which guides the city of Rio de Janeiro on issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Municipal Health Department, it was decided that, at least for now, the New Year’s Eve party will be maintained.
Carnival also follows normal planning.
According to representatives of the group of experts heard by the CNN, the epidemiological situation of the municipality does not indicate the need for further restrictions. However, with an increase in the number of cases, the decision may be revised.
The Committee is also looking closely at the discovery of the Ômicron variant, originating in Africa. “We are following it, but for now we have very little data on it,” explained a representative of the group of experts.
Rio’s municipal secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz, told the CNN that the city is attentive to all scenarios, including the new strain and the new outbreak of cases in European countries.
According to him, however, the current situation in Rio does not suggest the need to adopt restrictive measures towards the end of the year.
The State Department of Health of Rio informed this Sunday (28) that it will carry out the genetic sequencing of all positive tests for Covid-19 of people who come from outside the country. Among the tests carried out so far, no samples from Ômicron were identified.
The Scientific Committee meeting takes place at least once a month. This meeting was the first after the Public Ministry of the State of Rio and the Public Defender’s Office, on the 19th, asked for a reassessment of the realization of New Year’s Eve and Carnival in the city.
For New Year’s Eve, the public notice released by the City Hall foresees ten stages throughout the city and another three in Copacabana, a neighborhood that has been promoting one of the biggest New Year’s parties in the world for years. The expectation is that the event will bring together 2 million people.
Reference: CNN Brasil
