Virus restrictions eased on Rio de Janeiro beaches

For the first time in months, people played footvolley on Rio de Janeiro's sandy beaches on Friday after the city hall allowed playing team sports on weekdays.

Individual exercise on the beach and sea activities is allowed, but sunbathing remains off-limits for fear of over-crowding.

Some people are feeling safe exercising in the beach and confident with the loosening of restrictions, like the 50-year-old physical education teacher, Jorge Magno.

"Relaxation (of restrictions)  is happening little by little, that is why we are feeling very safe. I think the population will accept this and understand it in this way.

Another beachgoer expressed herself differently.

Roseli Coelho, who owns a footvolley school for kids at the beach, decided to wait until August to reopen.

"We will not know for sure, but to have a little bit more security to know how we can organize our return. What, in fact, will be safe," Coelho said.

Still, Coelho went out with her team for training to enjoy the sand.

While some enjoyed the beach, others made lines to take virus tests carried out by the government of Rio de Janeiro state.

Brazil is the world's second country with the largest number of victims and confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Almost 77,000 people died in Brazil since the start outbreak, and more than 2 million people have tested positive.

Experts said that there is a significant undercount due to lack of testing and that the number of cases in the big cities is falling, but the virus is moving to the countryside where smaller cities and towns are now suffering.