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Updated December 5th, 2021 at 16:05 IST

Rio de Janeiro cancels New Year's Eve celebrations amid Omicron variant scare

As the Omicron COVID variant spreads all around the planet, Rio de Janerio in Brazil has canceled its world-famous New Year's Eve celebrations.

Reported by: Rohit Ranjan
Omicron
Image: AP/ Unsplash | Image:self
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As the Omicron COVID variant spreads all around the planet, Rio de Janerio in Brazil has cancelled its world-famous New Year's Eve celebrations. The mayor of the Brazilian city, Eduardo Paes, announced that the decision was taken "with sadness", but that the "organisers respect the science". As per the reports of Sky News, for the second year in a row, the event has been cancelled as countries around the world are facing the spread of the alarming new Omicron variant, which was initially discovered in South Africa.

Paes continued by saying that he is sorry for making this decision, but they can't hold the party without the consent of all of the health authorities. Therefore, they will not be able to plan a party of a big size, with so many expenses and logistics, without putting in the bare minimum of effort, according to Sky News. He also said that he would like to be in Copacabana between December 22 and 23 hoping to hug everyone.

New Year's Eve celebrations cancelled in several Brazilian cities

Earlier, Paes had promised that the city will see the largest New Year's Eve party, with several fireworks displaying and performers playing on a dozen stages throughout the city, according to AP News. More than one million locals and tourists have attended the annual festival on Copacabana Beach in the past. Fears about the Omicron variant have also forced the cancellation of New Year's Eve celebrations in several Brazilian cities, including Sao Paulo and Salvador.

In the meantime, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is being investigated after claiming that coronavirus vaccines increase the risk of developing AIDS. Since the beginning of the outbreak, President Bolsonaro has violated local health regulations, claiming that limitations intended at containing the coronavirus cause more harm than good. He hasn't been vaccinated, either, according to Sky News.

First case of Omicron in Brazil discovered on Tuesday

The first case of Omicron in the country was discovered on Tuesday when two passengers returning to Brazil from South Africa tested positive for the Omicron variant, according to DW News. It was also the first confirmed case of Omicron in Latin America. So far, the Ministry of Health in Brazil has confirmed five instances of Omicron. Brazil reported 221 coronavirus deaths and 10,627 new cases on Friday, according to the latest official numbers. In total, 6,15,400 coronavirus deaths and 22,129,409 confirmed cases have been reported in the South American country.

(Image: AP/Unsplash)

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Published December 5th, 2021 at 16:05 IST

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