Brazil Locks Down Northern City Amid Spread of Variant Virus

Applied from February 1 at the border between Parau and Amazonas states

(Source: Bloomberg News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Jo] In Brazil, where new COVID-19 cases have been hovering around 60,000 daily, a variant virus is spreading, leading to city lockdown measures in some northern regions.

On the 30th (local time), Euder Barbalho, governor of Par? in the north, announced, "Due to the spread of the variant virus in the neighboring Amazonas state, lockdown measures will be implemented from midnight on February 1 in the areas bordering the two states."

Governor Barbalho said in a video message, "For the health of residents, the COVID-19 alert level in the border area between Par? and Amazonas has been changed from red (high risk) to black (lockdown)."

In cities of Par? near Amazonas, the public healthcare system has effectively collapsed due to a recent surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations, resulting in a shortage of ICU beds and medical oxygen.

Moreover, the variant virus detected in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, is increasingly likely to spread nationwide, causing concern among health authorities.

Lu?s Henrique Mandetta, the first Minister of Health under President Jair Bolsonaro's administration, said in a TV interview on the 28th that the variant virus first identified in Manaus could spread across Brazil within 60 days, potentially entering a pandemic phase.

Former Minister Mandetta noted that due to the lack of hospital beds, transferring COVID-19 patients from Manaus to other regions could accelerate the spread of the variant virus.

According to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, as of the previous day, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases reached 9,118,513, with a total of 222,666 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.