(Photo: Rowena Rosa/Agnia Brasil)
With the progress of vaccination and the reduction in the daily average of hospitalizations, deaths and new cases of Covid-19, the government of So Paulo announced the resumption of programs in the state for the next 17th. Declared by Governor Joo Doria in late July. (psdb).
Until the 17th, corporate fairs, conventions, conventions, museum exhibitions and social events, such as weddings, dinners, first parties and graduations, will be issued without restriction. The use of masks, a minimum distance of one meter and adherence to hygiene protocols are still mandatory. Participants will not be required to be tested, but can be fined at events when there are crowds. Concert halls open as restaurants or in other ways authorized by the So Paulo Plan will be permitted, as long as it is possible to establish a distance between the public. Specific guidelines were created for buffet parties, including restrictions on the dance floor and a one-metre distance between tables. Medium and large concerts, sporting events with the public and parties in nightclubs are still prohibited. Oversight of incidents will, for the most part, be the responsibility of municipal health surveillance officers. However, inspection fronts are also planned, including state health surveillance in partnership with ProCon and the civil and military police.
The announcement of the resumption comes after the first 30 testing events to be held in the state by the end of the year. Between 21 and 22 July in Santos, a city on the state’s coast, Expo Retomada gathered about 1,500 people with the aim of analyzing the feasibility of corporate fairs while following sanitary protocols. According to a note from the State Folder for Economic Development, two of those tested had positive results and could not access the program, received health recommendations and were instructed to go to a referral hospital. The use of a mask was mandatory, as well as a distance of one meter and the performance of a quick test at the entrance to the event, along with temperature measurement. The participants will be monitored till the end of next week.
Flexibility in commerce and services
From August 1 to August 16, the state is going through a transition phase. During this period, shops, services and religious places can operate between 6:00 am and 12:00 am with up to 80% capacity. In the previous phase, the permissible limit was 60%, with maximum hours of operation up to 23:00. During this phase, customers’ access to malls, galleries, street stores and restaurants should be interrupted at 11 p.m. The service should be allowed for another hour.
The government expects the beginning of a new phase called “safe recovery” on the 17th. It is expected that the time restrictions will be removed and the full capacity of the installations will be released. In a press release, the state administration clarifies that the city hall will have autonomy to determine the rigor of restrictions, taking into account the local scenario of the pandemic and the potential deterioration of hospital capacity. During both phases, transition and restoration, the use of masks in public access environments remains mandatory, as well as a minimum distance of one meter and respect for hygiene protocols.
Decline in ICU admissions
This Monday, for the first time in 2021, the state recorded an occupancy rate of less than 50% of ICUs treating patients with COVID-19. During the second wave, at the worst of the pandemic, capacity exceeded 92% and patients waiting for intensive care beds in So Paulo municipalities died, seeing as hospitals overloaded.
There was a 49% reduction in the daily average of new deaths in the month of July as compared to the deaths recorded at the peak of the pandemic in April. There has been a reduction of 22% in new cases as compared to the same period. According to the information received from Vacinometer, so far, 23.16% of the population in the state has been fully immunized. With only the first dose, 80.17% are adults.
Due to the progress of vaccination, the rest of the country has also seen a trend of relief in hospitals. However, the progress of the delta variant has alerted experts and officials. Considered more permeable, it has led to countries such as the United States having stopped reopening plans abroad. So far 22 cases of mutation have been confirmed in the city of So Paulo.
