Covid-19: Mayor exempts only vaccinated people from wearing masks in sports centers in Rio de Janeiro

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rio de Janeiro continues to drive its policy of a two-tier society in which the vaccinated gain freedom from restrictions and the unvaccinated and recovered are left behind.

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, has exempted gymnasiums and sports courts from the mandatory requirement to use masks in closed spaces. The new measure was published in the Official Gazette of this Wednesday (17/11). The new regulation provides that this measure will apply not only in gyms but also in swimming pools, training and fitness centers, and skating rinks.

However, everyone must prove that they have received two doses or a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The unvaccinated and recovered, with natural immunity, must continue to wear masks and now face increasing discrimination in the city.

According to the decree, the age range of people who must be vaccinated with two doses is between the ages of 15 and 59. A booster vaccination is required for residents 60 years of age or older.

Gymnasiums and sports centers are the first enclosed spaces for which Eduardo Paes has approved the use of masks in the capital. Last Friday (12), Rio City Hall had maintained the obligation to wear the masks in closed spaces and public transport but suspended all other rules against Covid in the city.

CLOSED ENVIRONMENTS

It should be noted that the vaccination card remains mandatory for some closed facilities in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The city government planned to promote the relaxation when 75% of the population was fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Paes overrode a joint resolution signed by the city and state health departments. The law established restriction measures based on the regions’ risk classification.

The document, published in January this year, provides for the use of masks in open places of collective use, if a distance of more than four meters is guaranteed. The text also states that Cariocas should continue to wear masks in enclosed spaces. However, the mayor repealed restrictive measures established in previous decrees and in joint resolutions between the state and the city.