Carnival: Rio confirms parades in the Sambadrome; is still assessing blocks

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes and state governor Claudio Castro said Wednesday that samba school parades at the Sambadrome are confirmed for Carnival 2002 assuming the Covid-19 pandemic will not worsen, but said that the street blocks will still be assessed.

They say it is possible to hold parades in Sapucaí according to the rules and respect for health protocols, as occurred in soccer stadiums.

“We can’t address Carnival as a uniform celebration. There are several types of celebrations. Sapucaí will be just like Maracanã. One is a soccer stadium and the other is the samba stadium. Sapucaí has all the conditions to perform the same controls as in Maracanã, such as vaccine passport screening,” Paes said after attending an event of the Lide-RJ group.

“Unless something very serious happens, I would say that Sapucaí’s Carnaval is guaranteed,” he added.

Rio is currently experiencing its best moment in the fight against Covid since the start of the pandemic, with few cases and deaths and a low hospitalization rate.

The city is preparing to hold a New Year’s Eve celebration in about 15 days, which will feature fireworks in 10 different points, albeit no shows or artistic performances to prevent crowds.

“We can control Sapucaí very well, because we have Maracanã Stadium and open beaches. We strongly believe in the Sambadrome’s viability,” said Governor Castro at the same event.

However, the mayor and the governor said that the street Carnival still needs to be debated, as there are no means of controlling access to the blocks.

“It is agreed that, in a normal situation, the Sambadrome is fully viable, but the street Carnival needs to be discussed and see what the pandemic curve will be like at that time. It is more complex,” Castro said, adding that the final decision will be made in January.

In 2021 there was no Carnival on the street or in Sapucaí due to the Covid-19 pandemic.