Rio de Janeiro Considers Using Navy Ships to Shelter High-risk Favela Residents

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The government of Rio de Janeiro is considering the use of Navy ships to shelter residents of favela communities at higher risk from the coronavirus, such as the elderly and diabetics.

The option was mentioned in a meeting between the State Health Secretary, Edmar Santos, and community leaders of over 40 favelas on Tuesday, March 24th.

“We need to discuss several measures. The ships are among them. We need to organize and share the efforts with the different areas, as well as involving the city governments of each municipality and, most importantly, the federal government,” said the Secretary.

The Navy has not yet commented on this possibility.

On Monday, March 23rd, Governor Wilson Witzel signed into law a bill authorizing the government to requisition hotels, motels and private inns for quarantines, isolation and non-invasive medical procedures. “We are preparing a hotel to accommodate infected tourists,” he said.