Rio’s city government decrees a 10-day lockdown with curfew and closes restaurants and schools

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After a joint meeting with the scientific committees, the mayors of Rio, Eduardo Paes, and Niterói, Axel Grael, announced on Monday, March 22nd, operating restrictions that will go into effect for 10 days, starting Friday, March 26th, to control the transmission of the coronavirus.

There will be a curfew between 11 pm and 5 am. Schools, museums, and shopping malls, among other non-establishment services, will not be open. Bars and restaurants will be open only for delivery and pickup. The measures were announced at a joint press conference.

The measures, which will be published in a decree in the Official Gazette, is valid until April 4th and will not affect the operation of markets and pharmacies, for example. Bars and restaurants can also continue only with home deliveries and take-away and drive-thru systems.

Health services, such as family clinics and municipal and private hospitals, will function normally, including vaccination against Covid-19. School classes will be suspended. Surgeries and elective procedures at municipal units will be interrupted.

Read: The beaches of Rio de Janeiro deserted after the closure decreed by the authorities to contain the advance of the coronavirus

Last weekend, beaches and leisure areas were closed, as well as parking was prohibited along the entire seafront and the entry of charter buses into the city.

Paes emphasized that “the practice of individual physical activities in squares, parks, beaches and places in the city” is allowed, as long as it doesn’t cause crowds and meets life protection measures.

The Rio Health Secretary, Daniel Soranz, said that the situation is serious, the number of hospitalizations is growing, so he asked for everyone’s collaboration.

– We have to interrupt the transmission line of the disease. These measures save lives.

The activities provided for in the decree include establishments that operate inside shopping centers and malls.

DETERMINATIONS

• Face-to-face service only in essential activities.
• Telework for public servants and employees (with the exception of essential services) and encouragement of telework in companies and other private services.
• The practice of individual physical activities in squares, parks, and public places in the city, as well as in open spaces of common use in private areas is allowed, as long as it does not generate crowds and meets life protection measures.
• The operation of daycare centers, schools and universities is suspended.

ARE FORBIDDEN

• Staying with people on public roads from 11pm to 5am.
• The operation of museums, galleries, libraries, cinemas, theaters, show houses and performance halls.
• Nightclubs, discos, dance halls, party houses and others.
• Hairdressing salons, barber shops, beauty and esthetic institutes.
• Social and sports clubs and leisure services
• Amusement parks and circuses.

ARE SUSPENDED

• The operation of daycare centers, nursery schools, elementary, high school and higher education establishments, sports, music, art and culture teaching establishments, language courses, free, preparatory and vocational courses, and driver training centers.
• Fairs, exhibitions, congresses and seminars.
• Granting of permits for events and transitory activities in public and private areas.

Attendance in person at:

• Bars, snack bars, restaurants, and the like.
• Kiosks in general, including those on the seashore.
• Other commercial establishments and service providers not specified above can operate

MAY OPERATE

• Snack bars, restaurants and bars: exclusively for home delivery, take away and drive-thru, being forbidden the personal attendance and the permanence of public inside the establishment.
• Food and beverage trade services, such as butchers and fishmongers supermarkets, fruit and vegetable stores, bakeries, convenience stores, and others, where on-site consumption is prohibited and the extension of opening hours is recommended.
• Health care services, pharmacies and commerce in medical and supplementary equipment and opticians
• Veterinary assistance, services and commerce of animal supplies
• Trade in construction materials, hardware and similar.
• Banking and lottery establishments, credit institutions, insurance, capitalization, trade and administration of real estate values and postal service.
• Wholesale trade and the supply chain and logistics.
• Free and mobile markets.
• Newsstands, being forbidden to exhibit for sale and sell alcoholic beverages.
• Trade of fuels and gas.
• Mechanic services and sale of auto parts and accessories for vehicles and bicycles, as well as car rental services
• Hotels and lodging, with food services restricted to guests.
• Passenger transportation.
• Industrial activities and civil construction works.
• Home delivery services.
• Telecommunication, telephone answering and call center services.
• Funeral services.
• Laundry services.
• Other activities that do not admit downtime.

The activities must operate considering the alert level of very high risk for the entire territory of the municipality.

MEASURES FROM THE PREVIOUS DECREE THAT REMAIN PROHIBITED

• Events and parties in public and private areas, including samba circles.
• The permanence of individuals on the sands of the beaches, at any time of the day.
• The entry of buses and other charter vehicles in the city, such as tourist buses, except those providing regular services for company employees or for hotels, in which case the passengers must show proof of a reservation.
• The parking of motor vehicles all along the seashore, except for residents, the elderly, people with disabilities, hotel guests and cabs.
• The use of the running tracks of the Delfim Moreira, Vieira Souto, and Atlântica avenues and both directions of the running tracks of the Flamengo embankment as leisure areas.

DURATION

Valid as of March 26 (Friday), 0h, until Sunday, April 4.