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Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...virus-warnings
Covid warnings ring out as Latin America bids to return to normality
The region has seen some of the longest lockdowns in the world but experts are urging countries not to reopen too soon
Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogot?, Dom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro and David Agrenin Matamoros
Sat 19 Sep 2020 11.00 BST
Last modified on Sat 19 Sep 2020 21.15 BST
The scene in Rio de Janeiro was as though much of 2020 had never happened.
The beaches at Ipanema and Copacabana heaved with visitors, the white sand obscured by bronzed bodies, sun loungers and parasols, as locals enjoyed the blistering 38C heat.
Even though Brazil has seen the third largest Covid-19 outbreak in the world, behind the United States and India, the vast majority of bathers ignored social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines altogether.
“Things have to go back to normal,” said Raniel Braga, who said that – after a desperately slow first half of the year – business at his paddle board rental on Copacabana Beach was picking up again. “Like it or not, we’re going to have to live with this virus for a while.”
“People who go to the beach are those who feel safe,” he said, as unmasked police officers surveyed the crowds. “People who are scared don’t go to the beach.”
But while Braga is delighted that Rio’s beaches are packed once again, international health officials are worried. This week, the World Health Organisation warned that countries across Latin America, are rushing back to normality prematurely – a mistake that could prove catastrophic in a region that already accounts for a third of global pandemic deaths.
“As leaders across the world face pressure to resume social and public life, it’s important that they avoid making decisions in a vacuum,” said Carissa Etienne, the director of the Americas division of the WHO, in a virtual news conference on Wednesday. Reopening before health systems are ready “would risk a handful of cases in one area becoming a full-blown outbreak,” she warned.
Much of Latin America has been locked down since mid-March, when the first few cases were confirmed, with some countries, like Colombia, only lifting nationwide restrictions at the start of September. The region has seen some of the longest lockdowns in the world, with citizens in many cities advised to leave their homes only when absolutely necessary.
But now, even though Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina all sit in the top 10 countries by coronavirus cases – with over 7.2m cases between them – exasperated citizens are abandoning social distancing...
Covid warnings ring out as Latin America bids to return to normality
The region has seen some of the longest lockdowns in the world but experts are urging countries not to reopen too soon
Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogot?, Dom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro and David Agrenin Matamoros
Sat 19 Sep 2020 11.00 BST
Last modified on Sat 19 Sep 2020 21.15 BST
The scene in Rio de Janeiro was as though much of 2020 had never happened.
The beaches at Ipanema and Copacabana heaved with visitors, the white sand obscured by bronzed bodies, sun loungers and parasols, as locals enjoyed the blistering 38C heat.
Even though Brazil has seen the third largest Covid-19 outbreak in the world, behind the United States and India, the vast majority of bathers ignored social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines altogether.
“Things have to go back to normal,” said Raniel Braga, who said that – after a desperately slow first half of the year – business at his paddle board rental on Copacabana Beach was picking up again. “Like it or not, we’re going to have to live with this virus for a while.”
“People who go to the beach are those who feel safe,” he said, as unmasked police officers surveyed the crowds. “People who are scared don’t go to the beach.”
But while Braga is delighted that Rio’s beaches are packed once again, international health officials are worried. This week, the World Health Organisation warned that countries across Latin America, are rushing back to normality prematurely – a mistake that could prove catastrophic in a region that already accounts for a third of global pandemic deaths.
“As leaders across the world face pressure to resume social and public life, it’s important that they avoid making decisions in a vacuum,” said Carissa Etienne, the director of the Americas division of the WHO, in a virtual news conference on Wednesday. Reopening before health systems are ready “would risk a handful of cases in one area becoming a full-blown outbreak,” she warned.
Much of Latin America has been locked down since mid-March, when the first few cases were confirmed, with some countries, like Colombia, only lifting nationwide restrictions at the start of September. The region has seen some of the longest lockdowns in the world, with citizens in many cities advised to leave their homes only when absolutely necessary.
But now, even though Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina all sit in the top 10 countries by coronavirus cases – with over 7.2m cases between them – exasperated citizens are abandoning social distancing...