RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s central-west state Mato Grosso do Sul, which borders Paraguay and Bolivia, on Friday declared a curfew to help curb an increase in cases of COVID-19.
The decree published in the state government gazette says that starting Monday, December 14th, residents will have to remain inside from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., except for work and medical emergencies. The curfew will be in effect for 15 days in all 79 cities.
“We are at the limit of (hospital) bed occupancy throughout Mato Grosso do Sul. If we do not adopt this measure now, we could overwhelm the capacity” of the public healthcare system, Governor Reinaldo Azambuja told the press.
According to the state government, Mato Grosso do Sul registered 1,236 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 deaths from the disease between Wednesday and Thursday, raising the total caseload to 109,785 and the death toll to 1,888 in the state.