The Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo announced on Friday that carnival festivities were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The parades were originally scheduled to take place at the end of February, but it has now been decided to postpone them until the end of April, the two municipalities said in a joint statement, citing the pandemic and the “need to save lives”.
The Loud Street Celebration, which is associated with one of the world’s largest parties, has been canceled for the second year in a row.
Now the part of the postponed carnival that is better known is the processions of the famous samba school platforms and dancers. Samba schools have been preparing for the parade for months, making colorful costumes and repeating musical performances.
In Rio de Janeiro, a samba school procession is taking place at the Sambadrom Stadium, which can accommodate 70,000 people. It attracts tourists from Brazil and around the world.
Debts are allowed, although later than usual, as the authorities will be able to control who arrives at the stadium and request proof of vaccination with Covid-19. Street parties have been canceled as too wild and spontaneous.
The Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil has claimed the lives of more than 622,000 people, making it the second largest country in the world after the United States.
A new wave of pandemics is currently raging in Brazil, fueled by a contagious form of the coronavirus omicron. This week, the country reached a new record of the number of people infected in one day – about 205,000 people.
Approximately 70% of the Brazilian adult population has received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
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