In order to control the further deterioration of the COVID-19 epidemic, after a study conducted by the government and the capital city of Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil, the government jointly announced on the afternoon of December 10th local time that stricter control measures will be taken in the future than in the previous period.
Control measures include: delaying the opening hours of business to 11 a.m. in order to avoid crowds during the morning rush hours of public transportation; prohibiting parking in river and lake parking lots on weekends and public holidays; closing beach entertainment places; closing places such as saunas and swimming pools in the community that cannot wear masks.
As of December 10 local time, the death toll from confirmed COVID-19 in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro exceeded 100 for three consecutive days. Currently, an average of 517 COVID-19 patients in the state are waiting for one bed every day, of which 266 are waiting for an intensive care bed. The number of patients waiting for hospitalization is more than three times that of November 23.
On the same day, the city of Niteroi, Rio signed an agreement with the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, worth R$57 million to purchase 1.1 million coronavirus vaccines. It is reported that the first 300,000 vaccines will be delivered by the end of January 2021, and the city’s health professionals and elderly will be vaccinated first.
