Rio mayor cancels New Year fireworks as omicron arrives
THE mayor of Rio de Janeiro has cancelled New Year’s Eve celebrations after Brazil confirmed the first known cases of the omicron coronavirus variant in Latin America’s biggest country.
Eduardo Paes said at the weekend that he would follow the recommendations of Rio de Janeiro state to cancel the celebrations, despite the city’s own view to the contrary.
“We respect science,” Mr Paes wrote on social media, saying there were dissenting opinions between scientific committees in the city and the state, but he would rather stick with the most restrictive one.
“The city’s committee says it can go ahead and the state’s says no. So it can’t take place. Let’s cancel the official New Year’s Eve celebration in Rio.”
The party attracts millions of residents and tourists to the world-famous Copacabana beach to watch the fireworks.
“I am very sad as mayor and personally. The New Year’s Eve celebration in Rio is one of the most incredible and incomparable parties in the world,” Mr Paes told a press conference.
In Brazil, the pandemic has claimed more than 615,000 lives, the second highest total in the world after the United States. Mr Paes said no additional restrictions would be imposed, stressing that vaccinated tourists are welcome in Rio de Janeiro as the city has recorded a drop in deaths and cases, and a high level of vaccination.
News of the cancellation came as Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian supreme court called for President Jair Bolsonaro to be investigated over his claims that coronavirus vaccines may increase the chance of contracting AIDS.
Mr Bolsonaro alleged in October that “official reports from the UK government suggest that fully vaccinated people are developing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome much faster than anticipated”.
It remains to be seen whether a probe will be carried out. Brazil’s top prosecutor, Augusto Aras, rarely goes against the president, and has yet to open an investigation into his handling of the pandemic, despite calls to do so. Mr Bolsonaro has not been vaccinated.