Rio de Janeiro's annual carnival postponed amid COVID-19 concerns

Rio de Janeiro's annual carnival parades scheduled to be held in February 2021 has been postponed indefinitely, the organisers said in a statement on Thursday. Brazil, which has reported the second-highest death toll in the world has decided to postpone the annual extravaganza given the COVID-19 situation in the country. 

Jorge Castanheira, the President of  Independent League of Rio de Janeiro Samba Schools (LIESA), the group that organises the Rio carnival revealed that the samba schools would not be ready by February given that it was almost October and the schools had neither raised the finances nor had the organisational resources.

The nation which has been reporting about 30,000 fresh cases every day has crossed 4.7 million infections with a death toll of 140,000. 

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The parade, which draws millions of people from across the globe passes through the iconic 'Sambadrome' featuring thousands of dancers and musicians moving through tightly packed crowds, a nightmare for the country reeling under the effects of COVID-19.

As the annual parade gets postponed, Rio’s City Hall has yet to announce a decision about the Carnival street parties that also take place across the city during the time. However, as per an official statement by its tourism promotion agency on September 17, the country is uncertain to resume such large public events without a Coronavirus vaccine. 

This is the first time in nearly a century that the Rio Carnival has been postponed.

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(With Agency Inputs)