Police in Brazil enforce coronavirus restrictions

A special police task force aimed at closing down clandestine party places in Sao Paulo raided a night club on Saturday night, evicting almost a hundred partygoers and shutting down the facility.

The raid was conducted by police, the metropolitan guard, health and sanitary surveillance and PROCON (Consumer Protection and Defense agency) in a bid to curb rising numbers of COVID-19 infections.

Police escorted a crowd of people from the illegal gathering in the early hours of Sunday morning, issuing citations but making few arrests.

A task force spokesman said the club owner had been fined 150,000 Reais ($27,000 USD) for hosting the event.

The crackdown comes as infection numbers in the city soared, overwhelming health facilities and pushing death numbers to over 800 a day, according to the State Health Ministry.

At the beginning of March, the government imposed stricter measures, including a curfew from 8PM to 5 AM and limited operating hours for bars, clubs and restaurants offering only home delivery.

During the last month, the Consumer Protection and Defense Agency, PROCON, has carried out 66 inspections and fined 405 establishments in the state.

Brazil recorded more than 351,000 COVID-19 deaths, more than 82,000 alone in the state of Sao Paulo, which registered a 7-day moving average of 808 deaths per day in the last week.