With the emergence of the omicron variant, the government of São Paulo decided on Thursday (2) to keep the use of masks in open spaces in the state mandatory. The same decision was taken by the City of São Paulo, which has decided to cancel New Year's Eve — the future of Carnival in the city remains uncertain.
The São Silvestre race will take place, however. Governor João Doria (PSDB) suspended the flexibilization of the use of masks, which was supposed to go into effect on the 11th, at the request of the Scientific Committee. The committee made the recommendation due to confirmation of three cases of people infected with the new strain in the state. For the group, there are uncertainties about the impact of the variant at a time when Christmas and New Year's Eve cause large gatherings.
The capital will also continue to demand the use of masks in open spaces. In addition, he gave up on doing the New Year's Eve celebration on Avenida Paulista, downtown. The measures were recommended by the Health Surveillance, which carried out a study with epidemiological and care indicators.
The conclusion of the study was scheduled to be delivered next Sunday (5), but was brought forward to the Municipal Health Department on Wednesday night (1). "Although all the data from the city are positive, but the emergence of the [ômicron] variant and also the month of December with popular commerce, it was recommended to maintain the use of masks and cancel New Year's Eve," stated Edson Aparecido, head of the ministry.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon