It’s too early to think about crowding at Carnival, says coordinator of anti-Covid committee in SP

The executive coordinator of the Scientific Committee for Covid-19 of the São Paulo government, Paulo Menezes, declared that it is still too early to talk about the agglomerations promoted by the São Paulo street Carnival for 2022.

The speech took place this Wednesday (24), on the same occasion that Governor João Doria (PSDB) announced the flexibility in the use of masks in open spaces in the state as of December 11th.

“Today we understand that it is still premature to think about a situation of crowds in the street with agglomeration, even if it is three months from now,” said Menezes, at a press conference at Palácio dos Bandeirantes in the early afternoon.

The committee coordinator’s opinion comes at a time when cities across the state are canceling festivities for fear of a new Covid outbreak.

According to Doria, so far 64 municipalities in São Paulo will not have Carnival in 2022. The fear is that the agglomeration will favor the propagation of the coronavirus. Some of the municipalities are Mogi das Cruzes, Ubatuba, Taubaté and Franca.

“We can’t fool ourselves [e acharmos] that we are free from the pandemic, free from the coronavirus, it is circulating and, therefore, we are keeping the measures with caution,” said Menezes. “Carnival moves millions and millions of people, Brazilians, people from abroad throughout the country in a way that let’s wait.”

Menezes affirms, however, that the committee, as well as the state administration, is confident that in February the situation of the pandemic will be positive and that the holding of the event can be discussed.

The decision to cancel or promote the street carnival is up to the city halls of the cities, which are sometimes preparing to receive the crowds, sometimes decided to cancel the festivities. In São Paulo, 867 street blocks are registered to parade between February 19th and March 6th.

“City Halls can be stricter than the state government, they cannot be less strict than the government of the state of São Paulo,” stated Doria.