“We respect science. Since the opinions of the scientific committees differ, we will always adhere to the strictest. The city council says it can. The State Committee says no. Hence, it cannot. Let’s cancel the official New Years celebration. thus. Rio “, – wrote Eduardo Paes on social networks.
The mayor added that without guarantees from all health authorities, it is impossible to organize a New Year’s party on the scale of Rio de Janeiro.
“Unfortunately, we cannot organize a party of this size, in which we are associated with high costs and logistics, without a minimum of time to prepare,” he added.
“If this is an order of the state (this is not what the governor told me), let’s accept it. I hope I can be in Copacabana, hugging everyone during the transition period from 22 to 23. This will be missed, but the important thing is that we continue vaccinations and saving lives, ”added Eduardo Paes.
The decision culminated in a weeklong discussion between the authorities of Rio de Janeiro about New Years celebrations after the latest variant of the covid-19 virus (Ómicron) arrived in Brazil.
On Thursday, the municipality decided to impose the need for a covid-19 vaccination passport to enter premises such as restaurants, bars, hotels or hairdressers.
As such, Rio de Janeiro joins Brazil’s 21 regional capitals like São Paulo, the country’s most populous city, who have already decided to cancel their year-end parties.
Brazil is one of the three countries in the world hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 615,000 people in the country and infected more than 22.1 million people.
