Ômicron makes São Bernardo (SP) resume trading hours

The City Hall of São Bernardo do Campo, in São Paulo’s ABC region, will once again limit the opening hours of stores —including shopping malls—, bars, restaurants, convenience stores, concert venues and buffets. From the next 13th, the closing of activities will be mandatory until 2am.

The new rules are part of a decree published this Friday (3). According to the publication, activities such as concerts, wedding parties and even Christmas and New Year’s parties have a new time limit and can only be carried out with people seated.

The decree does not inform opening hours or stipulate a limit on hours of operation.

The opening of Casa de Natal and the Summer Festival at the beginning of the year were cancelled. According to the decree, the city will also veto the holding of Carnival in 2022 and parades of samba schools, blocks and dances are prohibited.

In a broadcast on social media on Thursday night (2), Mayor Orlando Morando (PSDB) said he signed the decree because of the omicron variant of the new coronavirus, which has three confirmed cases in the state of São Paulo. The patients are in home isolation and none of them needed hospitalization.

Despite the measures, São Bernardo registers a drop in the number of hospitalizations for Covid-19. According to the city hall, on November 25, there were 13 people hospitalized with the disease in the municipal network, eight of them in ICU beds (Intensive Care Units). This Thursday, there were 11, eight of them in ICUs.

“Unfortunately, we had a new fact in Brazil and we cannot omit ourselves,” stated Morando about the micron variant. “After 2 am, people drink more and don’t wear masks anymore. The night is young because it grows all night long,” he said.

In the state of São Paulo, since November, all activities have been released without restrictions on time, capacity, or obligation for people to be seated.

According to Morando, shows with people standing that were scheduled to take place from the 13th onwards must be rescheduled or readjusted according to the rules, so that everyone can be seated.

According to the decree, the rules apply to “public places and private establishments, such as clubs, bars, restaurants, buffets, nightclubs, etc.” The text does not mention private get-togethers in the houses of residents.

The decree also maintains the mandatory use of masks — on Thursday, Governor João Doria had already said that the use of the protection item will remain mandatory in open environments due to the new strain.

The decree of São Bernardo does not establish what will be the punishment imposed on those who fail to comply with the rules. “The supervision of the measures will be under the responsibility of the Municipal Civil Guard, with the support of the Sanitary Surveillance teams and the Department of Works and Strategic Planning,” said the city hall, in a statement. “The measure will be in force until there is sanitary security for new flexibility.”

This year, São Bernardo was one of the cities in the ABC that implemented a curfew and was the last in the region to release the commercial opening hours, without restrictions.