Brazilians flock to beaches, ignoring pleas to stay home

Authorities in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro begged people to stay home, but thousands of Brazilians are travelling to coastal cities and ignoring recommendations on the first weekend of a 10-day holiday period decreed to contain the increase in Covid-19 infections in the country.

Some residents are clearing out and taking advantage of the holidays, despite warnings from authorities. Brazil’s two biggest cities, Rio and Sao Paulo, have imposed extensive restrictions on non-essential activities. Their state authorities brought forward holidays to create a 10-day break period, which started on Saturday.

Scenes in Brazilian cities show the difficulty authorities are facing in enlisting the co-operation of the population to contain the virus.

In Sao Sebastiao, a city of more than 80,000 inhabitants on the Sao Paulo coast, tourists destroyed barriers installed to stop access to beaches. The city is one of those that suffered an invasion of tourists who took advantage of the holidays decreed by the state Government.

“Don’t come to the coast. We depend on tourism, but right now we depend on health. We need to avoid an even bigger collapse,” said the city’s Mayor, Felipe Augusto, angered by the acts of vandalism.

In Ubatuba, another of the main cities on the Sao Paulo coast, residents burned tyres on a road to try to prevent an influx of visitors.

Brazil’s seven-day average of 2500 deaths stands to reach to 3000 within weeks, experts told AP.

The health system is already buckling, with almost all states’ intensive care units near or at capacity. Yesterday 92.6 per cent of ICU beds were occupied in Sao Paulo, while Rio state had an occupancy of 92 per cent.