The year 2020, has not been good so far, with plans and events getting scratched across the world, this year makes us miss 2019 even more. And after Times Square decided to hold its New Year’s Eve virtually this year, Brazil too, has postponed its iconic Rio carnival. For the first time in 100 years, the Latin American country has decided to postpone the event amid the covid-19 pandemic. Rio de Janeiro’s annual parade, which is known as a global spectacle, will suffer a setback as Rio’s League of Samba Schools LIESA announced that the coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible to safely hold the traditional parades.
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The First Rio Carnival Was Held In 1723 and It Has Never Been Cancelled Since Then
The parade stands cancelled for 2020. However, Rio’s authorities are yet to announce a decision about the carnival street parties that take place across the city. This decision was made after the city’s tourism promotion agency was shown uncertainty in conducting large scale public events, especially in the absence of a coronavirus vaccine. The traditional event was first held in 1723, and it was never cancelled even for a single year since then. It is also a cultural backbone of the country and provides many a source of livelihood each year. It’s a postponement, therefore, is likely to impact the country’s already vulnerable working population.
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Brazil Is The Third Worst Affected Country In The World With 4.6 Million Cases
In terms of covid-19, Brazil reported the first case of the virus on February 26. Since then, the coronavirus pandemic cases have been on the rise in the Latin American country. With over 4.6 million cases, Brazil stands as the third-worst affected country in the world. Brazil also has the world’s second-worst death toll with 139,000 fatalities.
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Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro announced to secure the supply of a coronavirus vaccine to immunize 10 per cent of its population by the end of 2021. That should cover Brazil’s “priority populations,” the press office said in a statement.
The official date of Rio’s 2021 carnival is yet to be announced.