Last week the official organizers indefinitely postponed the city’s famous parades and street parties that are held during February. The decision was made in order to take care of tourists arriving in summer to the city that hosts the Christ The Redeemer, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
The announcement was made by Rio’s League of Samba Schools, LIESA. In the statement the main organizer announced that “the spread of the coronavirus has made it impossible to safely hold the traditional parades that are a cultural mainstay”.
The president of the Sebastiana association, one of the biggest samba schools in Brazil, Rita Fernandes, stated that “the samba school league made the absolutely correct decision. Holding carnival — whether it’s samba schools or ‘blocos,’ any kind of carnival with crowds of people — without certainty on a vaccine or guarantees for people’s health is a mistake”.