São Paulo drops vaccine passport and mask in city taxi

The City of São Paulo ended the mandatory requirement of proof of vaccination against Covid-19 in events held in the capital of São Paulo and in establishments. The change in the rule is part of a decree published last Saturday (14) in the city’s Official Gazette.

The text signed by Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) and by the municipal secretary of Health, Luiz Carlos Zamarco, revokes three articles of a decree from August of last year that established the vaccine passport.

On September 1 of last year, events with more than 500 people began to be required to ask for proof of vaccination against Covid with at least one dose of the immunizer.

At the beginning of January, with the advance of the ômicron variant of the new coronavirus, however, the city hall expanded the obligation for all events and with the proof of two doses – the announcement was made during the cancellation of the street Carnival, which ended up being organized without authorization by blocks last month.

The city of Rio de Janeiro had already ended the vaccine passport requirement on April 26.

Data from the Municipal Health Department show that about 31.3 million vaccines against Covid-19 were applied in the city of São Paulo.

According to the folder, 106.8% of the estimated adults took both doses of the immunizer. And 76% received the additional vaccine — in the case of people over 60 years old, 53.3% of them are immunized with the fourth dose.

According to a bulletin released by the secretariat on Sunday (15), the municipal network had 77 people hospitalized with Covid-19, 37 of which were in intensive care units.

A survey commissioned in April by the CNI (National Confederation of Industry) revealed that 71% of Brazilians are in favor of companies requiring their employees to have a vaccine passport. Only 22% of respondents said they were against the measure.

Mask

The decree published Saturday also ends the mandatory use of masks in taxis and app cars.

The protection item remains mandatory in public transport and in health services, such as posts and hospitals.

For Ana Escobar, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at USP (University of São Paulo), it is a fact that vaccines have enormous protection against serious cases, but they do not prevent a person from transmitting the virus. “So, it makes no sense to ask for proof of vaccination, but if the city hall wants to reduce the rate of transmission of the virus, it is with the use of a mask”, she says.

Last Thursday (12), the Municipality of Serra Negra published a decree forcing the return of the use of masks in schools because of the increase in the number of cases of Covid-19.