Mask is no longer mandatory indoors in SP

The use of a mask is no longer mandatory in closed environments in the state of São Paulo this Thursday (17). Governor João Doria (PSDB) announced the decision during the program “Brasil Urgente” (Band), by presenter José Luiz Datena, pre-candidate for the Senate on the ticket headed by the PSDB in São Paulo.

The measure was published in Decree No. 66,575, in an extra edition of the Official Gazette this Thursday, with immediate effect. With this, the use of mask will no longer be required in closed places in the state.

Hospitals, health services, public transport and access points such as subway and train stations and bus terminals, however, are exceptions. In these places, protection against Covid will still be mandatory in São Paulo (understand the rules).

The use of a mask also remains mandatory on planes and in controlled access spaces at airports, such as the boarding area, as per Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) norm.

During the program, the toucan stated that he was thrilled with the end of the requirement to wear a mask.

“I’m even excited, Datena. We’ve been using the mask for 24 months. I had to use it as an example. With the control of the pandemic, we can walk without the mandatory mask in closed environments, obviously in open ones too, as it was released since week passed,” said the governor.

“The use of a mask is optional. We recommend that everyone who is careful continues to wash their hands. That everyone can contribute so that we no longer need to use masks.”

Doria defined the situation as a “moment of joy, of celebrating”. “But be careful, continue with your caution. If you think you should wear a mask, use it. Continue with your alcohol gel in your home, car, work. But we are deciding through science”, he added.

The measure is valid for the 645 municipalities in the state, regardless of the level of immunization in children and adolescents in each city. City halls, however, may choose to maintain stricter measures for the use of masks.

In the capital of São Paulo, the decree will be followed. Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) told sheet that will accompany the easing.

“We will continue, because the city of São Paulo has better indicators than the state average. Today, we have 83% of children vaccinated with the first dose, 100% of adolescents and adults with the second dose, 70% of adults with the third dose. Let’s continue, maintaining the obligation in public transport and hospitals”, said Nunes.

In Campinas, in the interior of the state, the city hall announced that it will only speak about it this Friday (18).

For flexibility, the Doria management says that it took into account the fact that 14 days after the Carnival holiday, a maintenance of improvement in epidemiological indicators was observed.

“The experts took into account the two-dose vaccination rate in the state, which reached the goal defined by the WHO (World Health Organization) and the MS (Ministry of Health), of 90% of the eligible population, that is, above 5 years immunized”, says the government, in a note.

On the 9th of this month, as anticipated by the sheet, the item is no longer mandatory in open spaces in the state of São Paulo. The requirement, however, still applied to closed environments.

Until last week, the governor and the state Scientific Committee were working with the forecast of announcing the end of the rule for closed places by the end of this month. Last Friday (11), Doria said that the population would be free from the mask, definitively, from the 23rd of this month.

The governor, however, decided to anticipate the announcement on Datena’s program — his likely ally in the 2022 elections. On Monday (14), the presenter confirmed his candidacy for the Senate, on the ticket of Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB), current deputy of Doria and which will compete for the Palácio dos Bandeirantes in October this year.

Garcia is expected to take over the government, on an interim basis, in April, so that Doria can dedicate herself to the presidential race.

Datena is expected to run for the Senate for União Brasil, the successor of the former PSL, to which he was affiliated.

Since May 2020, the use of a mask has been mandatory in São Paulo, under penalty of infraction and even imprisonment. The foreseen infraction was R$ 552.71.

The State Health Surveillance carried out 10,742 assessments from July 2020, when the period of adaptation to the norm ended, in February of this year.

The relaxation of masks in open places in the state, valid since the 9th of this month, was justified by the government team and the Scientific Committee based on two indicators: the drop in cases and deaths caused by Covid and the advance of the campaign of immunization.

In a press conference on Wednesday (16), the state health secretary, Jean Gorinchteyn, said that there was a 77% drop in admissions to wards and ICUs (intensive care units). However, the Scientific Committee recorded a 41.7% increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the epidemiological week – which ended on Saturday (12).

“There was an underreporting, underreporting in the week of Carnival, which meant that data on both deaths and cases had been pointed out last week and not the week before last”, justified the secretary.

According to the government’s Vacinometer, until 3 pm this Thursday, 90.27% of the entire population over five years of age had the complete vaccination schedule. 102.6 million doses were applied against Covid in the state.

Among children, 28.93% of the age group from 5 to 11 years old have the complete vaccination schedule.

In his speeches, Doria has mentioned his commitment to the acquisition of lots of Coronavac, at the same time that President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) has always manifested himself against immunization.

“Those who accused me, who said: ‘Those tight pants don’t understand anything. Go buy the vaccine in China, Vachina’. They said: ‘Whoever gets the vaccine will turn into an alligator, long live chloroquine and no vaccine’. That’s 110 million of Brazilians who took the vaccine in the arm and are fine, including me”, said the toucan on Friday (11) in the city of Catanduva, 385 kilometers from the capital of São Paulo.