RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Mayor Marcelo Crivella announced on Monday, May 25th, that he will not relax social isolation in Rio. The decision was made following a meeting with the city’s Scientific Council.
“We will not relax social isolation measures. We must wait a while longer to restart the return to activities”. Restrictions are to continue in the municipality for another week when they will be reassessed.
According to the Mayor, there are now protocols in place for activities that may be the first to return in June. “We are talking about furniture stores, for instance, where we don’t have crowds. And car dealerships”.
Rule for churches
On Monday, a decree on measures for the operation of religious institutions was published in the Official City Gazette.
The decree provides:
- mandatory use of masks
- a minimum distance of 2m between the faithful
- sanitizer gel supply
- preference for virtual ceremonies for vulnerable groups
The Mayor’s text quotes a federal decree by President Jair Bolsonaro that included religious services as essential activities and also states that Rio’s City Hall has “at no time” ever determined the closure or restriction of such activity.
The decree also says that “religious organizations have suffered undue interference and constraints in their operation” due to mistaken decisions by public officials, failing to mention which ones.
‘We have mastered the pandemic’
According to the Mayor, the expected chaotic situation in the capital has not been confirmed. The latest official report shows that the city of Rio records 182 deaths and 21,775 cases of Covid-19.
“We have mastered the pandemic. We have not fallen into chaos. We were extremely concerned about an explosion of cases in the city. Thanks to the equipment provided, we didn’t see this,” Crivella said.
Crivella said 880 beds will be made available this week at Riocentro’s Field Hospital and at the Ronaldo Gazolla Municipal Hospital in Acari, in the Northern Zone.
On Thursday, May 21st, (21), Crivella based the potential return to activities on the city’s isolation rate, which he said would be 80%, and the drop in the contagion curve of Covid-19.
“Today in Rio de Janeiro, thank God, 80 percent of crowds have decreased, 80 percent of the traffic on the street, 80 percent of passenger traffic on buses has also decreased, the curves have slowed down in terms of contagion, so much so that we have indications to return to activities. And we are returning,” Crivella said last week.
Flexibility in other municipalities in the State of Rio
Duque de Caxias
On Monday, the municipality of Duque de Caxias, in the suburban Baixada Fluminense, adopted a new protocol for the circulation of people during the pandemic. In the morning, trade opened and there were reports of crowds. The decision provided for the reopening of trade, as long as they followed hygiene regulations against the novel coronavirus.
However, on Monday afternoon, a Court suspended Mayor Washington Reis’ decree and ordered the city’s commerce to remain closed. With the decision, only essential establishments and services will be kept in operation. The Municipality has reported that it has not been notified of the decision.
Caxias is the municipality with the second-highest number of deaths caused by Covid-19 in the state, behind only the capital city. By Sunday, May 24th, there were 182 deaths and 1,184 cases.
Niterói
Niterói, in the Metropolitan Region across Guanabara Bay from the city of Rio, took another step to relax social isolation measures. Part of trade reopened on Monday, such as beauty salons, real estate agencies, hotels, and law offices.
All services need to follow sanitary protocols, such as social distancing and offering sanitizer gel. The use of masks by the population is still mandatory and those who do not comply may be fined R$180.
Other activities, such as auto repair shops, building, and opticians’ stores, had already been released from lockdown on Thursday, May 21st, in a system called “new normal” by the city government.
The plan was developed by city hall technicians and specialists and takes into consideration indicators such as the rate of transmission of the disease, mortality rate, and the number of available beds.
Cut in wages
Another extraordinary decree published in the Official Gazette on Monday deals with the wage cut for some civil servants.
Rio Mayor Crivella has ordered a 50 percent cut in the salary of upper level government officials and 30 percent of municipal civil servants. The decision is effective as of June, and aims to tackle the “financial crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Source: G1