A crowd formed in the city of Rio de Janeiro for the National Samba Day, officially celebrated on December 2nd, but with celebrations extended throughout the weekend. Three stages were set up with many shows and 15 samba circles spread across the northern part of Rio.
The event was attended by the old guards of the Samba Schools, carnival court and guests, but few wore masks to protect against Covid-19 and social distancing.
The organization of the event tried to guarantee maximum security for the celebration. “In compliance with the Municipal Decree of August 26, 2021, for access to the 2021 Samba Train, it is mandatory to present proof of vaccination against Covid-19. The requirement of proof will be made.”, said the note of the summons to the party.
In Rio de Janeiro, the use of a mask prevails in open places with agglomeration, closed places and public transport. When faced with the images of samba, the virologist and researcher at Fiocruz Marilda Siqueira only defined the scene in one sentence: “it is difficult to hold the transmission”.
The commemoration that served as a “warm up” for the 2022 carnival concerns not only the confirmed cases of the Ômicron variant, six in total, but also the influenza outbreak alert made this week by Fiocruz.
The Foundation’s InfoGripe Bulletin indicated that 13 of the 27 states had signs of growth in cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SRAG). The increase was seen in all age groups under 60 years.
Fiocruz informed that it was necessary to carefully monitor whether the influenza outbreak is a long-term trend or something punctual. Signs of growth were identified in Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Bahia, Ceará, Federal District, Espírito Santo, Maranhão, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Rondônia, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Reference: CNN Brasil
