"Buzzing... Is This Photo Real?" Current Situation in Brazil with Beaches Filled with Vacationers

On the 22nd (local time), citizens gathered in large numbers at Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, disregarding COVID-19 social distancing measures. The Delta variant of COVID-19 has been spreading recently in Rio de Janeiro.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] A photo of a Brazilian beach that looks as if it has returned to the pre-COVID-19 days has been released. Currently, Brazil is implementing relaxed social distancing measures as COVID-19 deaths and confirmed cases have decreased, but due to the spread of the Delta variant, it is expected to reintroduce stricter measures.

On the 22nd (local time), a Brazilian media consortium reported that the weekly average daily death toll was 765 on that day, continuing to stay below 800 for two consecutive days following 773 the previous day. This is about one-quarter of the peak on April 12, when there were 3,125 deaths. The weekly average daily confirmed cases also continued to decline to 29,490. The highest record was 77,295 confirmed cases on June 23.

According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health's data, as of that day, the cumulative confirmed cases reached 20,570,891, and cumulative deaths were 574,527, with an increase of 14,404 confirmed cases and 318 deaths compared to the previous day.

Currently, 58.01% of Brazil’s total population, or 122,832,260 people, have received the first dose of the vaccine, and 26.01%, or 55,068,521 people, have completed the second dose or received the single-dose Janssen vaccine.

With the calming of COVID-19 and the expansion of vaccinations, local governments are significantly easing lockdowns. Most business restrictions have been lifted, and commercial areas in S?o Paulo city have become very lively, with Paulista Avenue, the city center, reportedly crowded with residents out for a stroll.

Especially despite it being winter, with temperatures soaring well above 30°C, the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and S?o Paulo were filled with vacationers.

However, as signs of the Delta variant’s spread emerge, Rio city is showing signs of reinforcing lockdown measures again. According to the Ministry of Health report, as of the 17th, there were 1,051 Delta variant infections, with 41 deaths among them. Among the 27 states nationwide, 16 have reported Delta variant infections, with Rio state having the highest number at 431, followed by S?o Paulo state with 231.

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