Every year, the New Year's Eve celebration attracts millions of people and tourists to Copacabana Beach (Rio de Janeiro) to watch fireworks on New Year's Eve. The cancellation of this festival may have a significant impact on tourism in the city, but this is not surprising in the context of Covid-19 infections in Brazil still at a high level.
On his Twitter page, Mayor Eduardo Paes emphasized that he still implemented the strictest restrictive measures to prevent the epidemic, "The city council said that it was possible to continue celebrating but the state government did not allow it. Therefore, the carnival in Rio cannot take place."
Before Covid-19, the New Year's Eve festival in Rio de Janeiro always attracted a large number of attendees. - Photo: Internet)
Rio de Janeiro is a city in the state of the same name (Rio de Janeiro) located in the south of Brazil, famous for its many natural attractions and vibrant Carnival festival. The decision to cancel the New Year's festival has raised questions about whether the city's iconic Carnival, in February 2022, will be held.
"I am very sad, as Mayor and personally. Rio's New Year's Eve celebrations are one of the most beautiful and unique events in the world," Paes said at a press conference.
Twenty other Brazilian cities, including the populous city of Sao Paulo, have also canceled year-end festivals. - Photo: Reuters
Despite the cancellation of New Year celebrations, Rio de Janeiro is still open to visitors who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. In addition, the city government is requiring people to present Covid-19 certificates when entering beauty salons, restaurants, bars and hotels.
Statistics show that Brazil has the second highest number of deaths from Covid-19 in the world, after the US. It is also the first Latin American country to record cases of the Omicron variant with 6 cases.
