Rio’s Joyous Carnival, The World’s Largest, Is Postponed Due To COVID-19



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Dancers partake in the Carnival celebrations earlier this year at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro.

Silvia Izquierdo/AP




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Silvia Izquierdo/AP

«I’m not sure how the country will survive,» said Alexandre Garnizé, 48, a historian and musician who plays African and Brazilian percussion.

Bruna Padro/Alexandre Garnizé


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Bruna Padro/Alexandre Garnizé

This September, he’s struggling in quarantine, but said he feels lucky to be able to teach students by video conference.

«The country has lost too many already, I have lost five family members and many friends,» he said, adding that now, health precautions are needed so that others don’t die from COVID-19.

Brazil has the third highest number of coronavirus infections in the world. According to the Johns Hopkins dashboard, the country has more than 4.6 million confirmed positive cases and nearly 140,000 deaths.

Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who contracted the coronavirus, has repeatedly pushed back against safety measures to contain the pandemic. Garnizé says he thinks the political atmosphere had an impact on how many people view the crisis: «People don’t obey the rules, don’t wear masks, they don’t social distance.»

While the decision Thursday is a postponement, no new Carnival date has been announced yet.

  • COVID-19
  • Carnival



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