SAO PAULO (AP) – One night before New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro, thousands of partygoers dressed in swimsuits crowded the iconic Ipanema Beach to drink some drinks by the sea. It was one of the many outdoor parties that took place along Brazil’s vast coastline since the summer heat set in and as the number of COVID-19 deaths increased.
“It was so packed you couldn’t put your foot on the beach,” said a maintenance worker at a luxury apartment building across the street. “And it wasn’t just the night; the beach was full during the day. And no one wears a mask! “He added, insisting that he not be cited as a concern, the building owner would punish him for talking to a reporter.
The holiday explosion came just before a pandemic stage: Brazil killed 200,000 people on Thursday, rising 1,524 in the last 24 hours to a total of 200,498 for the pandemic, according to data released by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. It has the second largest death toll in the world, behind the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins University database.
Dozens of protesters gathered in front of Brazil’s presidential palace on Friday with a banner blaming President Jair Bolsonaro for the grim landmark. They also bore signs calling on Congress to remove him from office.
Many Brazilians have been fighting quarantine for months, going to bars or small meetings with friends, but massive explosions have been few and far between since the pandemic began. The festivities began after the summer in the southern hemisphere began on December 21.
While many countries have imposed new restrictions to limit the spread of the virus in mid-December, the Bolsonaro administration has given its blessing for holiday fun in the sun. Tourism Minister Gilson Machado told Radio Jovem Pan that gatherings of up to 300 people are perfectly acceptable. The decision to impose restrictions is the prerogative of local governments; some who have done so have seen their rules ignored.
A prominent YouTuber hosted a party by a river beach for hundreds of people in the northeastern region of Alagoas. Days later, local media reported that 47 people, including unmasked guests and employees, had contracted COVID-19. At least two were admitted to intensive care units.
A five-day New Year’s beating drew 150 people to the property owned by football star Neymar outside Rio, although he denied any association with the VIP event.
Outside the city of Sao Paulo, Bolsonaro kicked off the year 2021 by jumping off a boat and swimming to a crowd of immeasurable, cheerful supporters.
Police in the city of Bertioga on the coast of Sao Paulo also used tear gas to disperse a holiday in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
“Even in front of the parties, the situation was already getting worse. But this week or next it will get even worse, “Domingos Alves, an associate professor of social medicine at the University of Sao Paulo, told the Associated Press this week.
Alves, who leads a team of researchers tracking COVID-19 data, warned that cases confirmed daily by several states had already exceeded figures seen during Brazil’s peak in July.
Intensive care units in many cities are again hit by patients with COVID-19. The mayor of the capital of the state of Amazonas, Manaus – about which a local study speculated that he could have reached the immunity of the herd after his brutal first wave – declared a 180-day state of emergency on Tuesday and suspended all permits for events. State authorities banned all non-essential activities for 15 days in most parts of the city
The city of 2.2 million has recorded 3,550 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, and the number of COVID-19 funerals has increased. Outside of at least one cemetery, lined cars full of people waiting to bury their loved ones.
Vanda Ortega, a volunteer assistant from the Manaus Indigenous Community, told the PA that the city took a practical approach to the virus, first during local elections in November, with large rallies and long queues of voters.
“Then we had the holiday season, with a lot of secret parties,” said Ortega, who belongs to the Witoto ethnic group. “We live in an area where rich people have cabins. They have parties every week. “
Many mayors on the coast of Sao Paulo have ignored holiday restrictions imposed by their governor. In at least 12 cities, mayors have kept shops, hotels and beaches open to tourists.
The images of traffic jams and crowded beaches, with mostly crowds unmasked, were so shaky that EU Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni expressed his distrust on Twitter, saying “I saw shameful images from Brazil”
Bolsonaro, who, although suffering from the virus himself, has consistently argued that the country faces a higher risk due to the economic damage of the blockades than from the pandemic. He signaled with the New Year’s swimming that he will continue to ignore the protection measures observed in most countries.
“I dived in a mask so as not to catch COVID from small fish,” he joked a few days later in front of the presidential palace.
After Brazil killed more than 200,000 people, Bolsonaro said in a live broadcast on social media on Thursday that he was sorry for those who were lost, “but life goes on.”
“There is no point in keeping the old story of staying home and the economy that we will see later,” the Brazilian president said. “It will not work, it will be chaos in Brazil. It could lead to even more dramatic consequences than the virus. “
Even some Brazilians who consider themselves cautious let their guard down. Football fan Ricardo Santos, 46, says he covers his face every time he goes out, wears hand sanitizer in his bag and notices social distancing. But on Wednesday, he and a dozen other Palmeiras fans hit a bar in downtown Sao Paulo to watch their team play.
“I spent New Year’s Eve with only two friends who live in the same building. I take precautions. But sometimes you have to take a small risk to keep your mental health as well, ”Santos said.
Back on Ipanema Beach in Rio, 57-year-old Joao Batista Baria said he blamed the authorities for not protecting his poorest residents.
“Everyone talks about these parties on the beach, but the crowds also happen on the bus, on the subway,” Baria said as she cleaned the folding chairs that tourists and locals rent to enjoy the summer sun. “People come to the beach because they choose. I have to take the bus to get to work. ”