Rio cancels carnival due to Omicron

Authorities in Rio de Janeiro announced on Tuesday the cancellation of next month’s carnival street celebrations due to an increase in Covid-19 cases brought on by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

It is the second year running that the coronavirus has forced the Rio street parade, which was due to take place from Feb 25 to March 1, to be called off.

“The street carnival in the form that took place in 2020, which did not happen in 2021, will not take place in 2022,” Mayor Eduardo Paes said in a live broadcast on social media platforms.

The street parade by musical bands called “blocos” is different to the betterknown procession by samba schools that takes place in Rio’s Sambadrome.

The Sambadrome can hold 70,000 people in a stadium that allows authorities to control those that enter.

Amongst the options available to them are proof of vaccination, a negative covid test and the wearing of masks for those in attendance.

“The street carnival, given its nature and its democratic aspect, makes any type of control impossible,” said Mr Paes.

In 2020, there were an estimated seven million revellers, according to the Riotour travel agency.

Although previous meetings between Rio authorities and the blocos failed to reach a compromise, new talks are planned for tomorrow where the musical groups association president Rita Fernandes said they will make “a more decentralised proposal.”