Although the Municipal Health Department of Rio de Janeiro informs that a final decision on Carnival should only be taken within fifteen days, specialists consulted by the CNN claim that the parties should be canceled because of the advancement of the Ômicron variant.
Although the Municipal Health Department of Rio de Janeiro informs that a decision about Carnival should only be taken within fifteen days, specialists consulted by the CNN claim that the party should be canceled because of the advancement of the Ômicron variant.
For infectologist and epidemiologist Roberto Medronho, who is part of the scientific committee of the State Government of Rio de Janeiro, the suspension of the carnival should be total. A group meeting is scheduled for this Friday (7) and the doctor intends to defend the cancellation even of the Samba Schools parade, until then released by the City Hall.
Through social networks, Governor Cláudio Castro informed that he suggested to the committee the suspension of the street Carnival throughout the state. “It would be irresponsible to authorize agglomerations without the possibility of following sanitary protocols, while the cases of Covid-19 grow. I instructed the Health Department to dialogue with the Council of Health Secretaries so that the event is not authorized in the municipalities”, he wrote.
The State Secretary of Health, Alexandre Chieppe, in an interview with CNN this Friday morning, he commented on the possibility of stricter protocols against Covid-19 during the party.
“The protocols will have to be stricter, including what we had previously suggested due to the different characteristics of the Ômicron variant, which escapes vaccination a lot. And, therefore, we may have to have a mixed strategy, combining testing with vaccination, for us to have a safe Carnival in Sapucaí”, said Chieppe.
A meeting of the City’s Scientific Committee is scheduled for next Monday (10), in which the topic will be discussed. For now, the Health Department of the capital only informed that the next few days are decisive for having a decision on Carnival.
“If the variant causes an increase in serious cases or hospitalizations (second scenario), we will have to rethink this planning. Right now, we have a scenario of an increase in the number of cases, but without an increase in the number of serious cases, precisely because of the very high vaccination coverage in the city of Rio de Janeiro”, explained municipal health secretary Daniel Soranz.
Carnival in Brazil
According to a survey by CNN Agency, at least 15 capitals and the Federal District canceled or partially suspended the public Carnival, in other words, linked to the city hall.
This Thursday (6), the city of São Paulo announced the cancellation of the street Carnival. The confirmation came after a manifest from the blocks in the capital announcing the withdrawal from this year’s festivities.
Reference: CNN Brasil
