São Paulo State Covid-19 Situation Stable After Partial Reopening of Commerce

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – One week after the start of the business activity reopening process in the state of São Paulo, the Covid-19 numbers remain stable, albeit worrying. The number of confirmed cases reached 144,593 and the number of deaths from the disease stood at 9,188, as of Monday June 8th.

Occupation of ICU beds remains stable, in part due to increased capacity. Governor João Doria announced that there will be 8,800 exclusive ICU beds by the end of the month. Occupancy currently stands at 67 percent of beds in the state and 75 percent in Greater São Paulo.

“We are experiencing a low growth rate (…) There is a degree of stabilization of the epidemic behavior in the state of São Paulo,” said José Henrique Germann, the state’s Secretary of Health.

However, it is still impossible to assess the impact of partial reopening in some cities, since it is early and the disease has an incubation period of up to 14 days. In addition, few service activities have been allowed to reopen, with stricter rules on capacity and hygiene protocols, and the flow of people is still restricted.

In Greater São Paulo, social isolation stood at 51 percent on Saturday and 53 percent on Sunday. In the state, isolation reached 49 percent on Saturday and 52 percent on Sunday.

Situation in City of São Paulo

The state capital is in stage 2 (orange) on its resumption plan and began receiving proposals last week for rules to allow commercial businesses to return to operation. Mayor Bruno Covas avoided providing a deadline for analyzing the protocols and asked for “a little more patience” from the sector.

So far, the city has only authorized the return of dealerships and offices among the services considered non-essential. Other activities that could operate with limitations due to the reopening plan, such as shopping malls and shopping galleries, remain closed.

The City Hall also announced the reopening, with restrictions, of five ‘Descomplica SP’ (Simplify SP) offices that handle some 300 municipal services, such as the issuance of a Work Permit or a Single Ticket application. There are no plans to open other facilities.

Tests and data

The state team also announced at the press conference an effort to extend mandatory notification of tests conducted by the private sector.

“This will provide a more comprehensive picture of the pandemic and how to fight it. Transparency in data means working better, never withholding information,” Doria said.

He said the state government will also increase the disclosure of data by the State Data Analysis System Foundation (SEADE) to include, among other information, hospitalization data.

“We’ve already been doing that and we’ve extended this information to ensure access to the whole population, particularly journalists, to everything related to the coronavirus in the state of São Paulo,” he said.

He criticized the “data blackout” on the disease by the Ministry of Health, which in recent days has been delaying its disclosure, in addition to providing contradictory data and brief reports that do not allow historical comparison or clarity about the criteria.

In reaction to the federal government’s lack of transparency, media outlets and the National Council of State Health Secretaries (CONASS) will release their consolidated data to allow monitoring.

Source: Estadão Conteúdo