07RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella, announced on Monday, June 1st, a six-stage deconfinement plan to be implemented in the capital of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
According to Crivella, who celebrated the end of the wait list for ICU beds in the city, extending the social isolation period has led to an increase in deaths from other diseases that require medical care.
According to the Mayor, isolation has caused people who need treatment in hospitals not to seek help. “It is very important that we be concerned about other co-morbidities,” he said.
The Municipal Health Secretariat said there are 34 patients hospitalized in SUS (National Health Service) facilities awaiting transfer to beds reserved for Covid-19, 17 of whom are waiting for ICU bed vacancies.
In the whole SUS network in the city of Rio de Janeiro, there are 1,860 patients hospitalized suspected of Covid-19 infection, 694 of whom are in ICU. The ICU bed occupancy rate for Covid-19 stands at 87 percent. Throughout the state, according to data from the State Health Secretariat, the ICU bed occupancy rate stands at 86 percent.
Upon publication of the decree, the city of Rio de Janeiro enters stage 1 of the deconfinement program, called Rio de Novo (Rio Once Again). The plan details which activities can be restarted and under which rules.
According to the mayoralty, the initial plan is to advance steps every 15 days, based on monitoring data such as the health system’s response capacity and the novel coronavirus transmission rate.
In stage 1, outdoor individual physical activities are allowed on the beachside boardwalks and in the ocean, as well as in parks. Professional sport training centers may operate, but the press and public cannot be present.
In stage 2, sports competitions will be allowed but with no public admitted to the venue. Also during this stage, malls may be reopened, with controlled number of people and one third of parking spaces, operating from 12 noon to 8 PM.
In stage 3, street stores may reopen, as well as restaurants, which may operate at 50 percent capacity, and gyms and beauty salons, subject to previous bookings. Stage 3 also includes the reopening of municipal daycare centers for children from two years old and elementary schools from the 5th to 9th grades.
“Today, extending social isolation may be beneficial in terms of Covid, but it is harmful for the population that is dying of other comorbidities, urgent cases that need to go back to treatment,” Crivella said.
Source: Folhapress