‘Underground Carnaval’: Crowds of Rio residents and tourists meet on Ash Wednesday

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – As in the days before, thousands of Rio residents and tourists from all over the world celebrate the Carnival in wild parties in hundreds of pop-up venues.

Cases of ‘underground carnaval’ activity were reported in neighborhoods in the city’s west and south zones and downtown. For the second consecutive day, several hundreds of people gathered at the top of Morro do Vidigal.

Rio residents and tourists once again celebrated on Tuesday night, February 16th until the early hours of Wednesday, February 17th, in several of the city’s neighborhoods.

Many people with no masks were seen in Barra da Tijuca, Cidade de Deus and Curicica, in the West Zone, in Lapa, downtown, and in Leblon and Copacabana, in the South Zone.

Again, nightlife spots like Olegário Maciel street, in Barra, and Dias Ferreira street, in Leblon, were bustling. Many people filled the streets and sidewalks, often blocking traffic.

A party at Bandeirantes Road, in Curicica, was interrupted when agents from the Secretariat of Public Order and the Jacarepaguá subprefecture arrived.

Shortly before 6:40 AM, Globocop recorded hundreds of people at the top of Morro do Vidigal, in the South Zone, for the second consecutive day.

In an interview to Bom Dia Rio, Rio’s Public Order Secretary Brenno Carnavale said that no measures endangering the integrity of the population will be taken to put an end to illegal parties occurring in “areas under the influence of organized crime”, such as favelas.

“This establishment has been monitored and fines are being handed out for illegal events in the area. However, the city will not implement measures that endanger the physical integrity of the people living in that community, precisely because this is an area under the influence of organized crime,” said the secretary.

A statement that only triggers ironic laughter from some party organizers: “All of Rio is under the influence of organized crime. The most powerful and dangerous crime gang is City Hall and Parliament.”

Illegal parties were also held at sea during the Carnaval period. Up to Tuesday, 63 boats were prevented from setting sail, as they would be hosting parties in the coastal area, and two municipal guards were injured after being struck by glass bottles in Leblon.

The attack on the municipal guards occurred on Dias Ferreira street last Saturday, February 13th, with at least one arrest for contempt.

Also on Tuesday, Rio de Janeiro registered the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a day in the past 24 hours. There were 8,385 new cases, according to the State Health Secretariat. The new cases did not necessarily occur on the day they were reported.

According to the latest City Hall report, released last Friday, February 12th, all 33 of Rio’s regions are at high risk for Covid-19. It is the fourth straight week in this situation.

The ranking considers the number of hospitalizations and deaths and is used to establish restriction measures in the city.