(Sao Paulo) Sao Paulo, the most populous metropolis in Brazil, canceled Thursday New Year’s Eve which traditionally brings together two million people on Avenida Paulista, for fear of a spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 after detection of the first three cases.
“We are canceling New Years Eve (December 31) at the request of the health authorities,” said the mayor of the city of 12 million inhabitants, Ricardo Nunes, during a visit to New York.
The governor of the eponymous state, Joao Doria, also in New York, announced on Twitter “the maintenance of the requirement to wear a mask in open spaces”, following the recommendation of the Scientific Committee.
This decision comes after the state announced last week the end of the wearing of the compulsory mask as of December 11.
“All the figures show that the epidemic is receding in Sao Paulo, but we will opt for the precautionary principle,” said Doria.
More than half of Brazilian state capitals – 16 out of 27 – have canceled their New Years Eve, from Recife to Brasilia or Porto Alegre. For now, Rio de Janeiro maintains its iconic New Year’s Eve which brings together three million revelers on the immense Copacabana beach.
On Tuesday, the governorate of Sao Paulo announced two first cases of the Omicron variant, the first in Latin America. The next day, a 3e case has been confirmed in the same state.
Brazil, like many other countries, has closed its borders to flights from six southern African countries, to prevent the spread of the new variant first detected in South Africa.
Brazil has recorded more than 614,000 deaths from COVID-19, making it the second most bereaved country in the world after the United States.
More than 62% of the population (213 million inhabitants) received two doses of the vaccine. The third dose injections began in November.