With the warning from health directors that the system could collapse with a wave of new cases of Covid-19 after São João, the Ministry of Public Bahia (MP-BA) has sent it directly to nine municipalities, in the past two days, with recommendations to limit June festivities. In addition, Attorney General Norma Cavalcante issued a general recommendation For prosecutors to work in municipalities in order to ask city councils to take measures to prevent events with gatherings.
In the general recommendation, published in Diário de Justiça, the Speaker of Parliament advises, regarding functional independence, that prosecutors recommend that mayors cancel any public event planned or sponsored by city councils – such as parties, concerts, fairs and square dances – regardless of the expected audience, With or without tickets sold.
In addition, the attorney general is recommending that any health permits and permits eventually issued for the special June festivities be rescinded, also regardless of the number of participants.
In the play, city halls are also advised to adopt measures to disallow parties, by exercising police power.
The promoters have already recommended directly to the municipalities of Bom Jesus da Lapa, Serra do Ramalho, Sitio do Mato, Baratinga, Cicero Dantas, Fatima, Heliopolis, Baripiranga and Adostina, that parties be banned in that period.
Collapse – As the gamma variant (or P.1) of the coronavirus progresses and the June festivities approach, Bahia’s Minister of Health, Fabio Villas Boa, stated that the state It will have no conditions To absorb into the health system as a result of a wave of pollution similar to the one that occurred after Sao Joao last year.
In a video posted on social media, the head of CISABB said the ministry was already preparing for a post-São Joao wave, but made an appeal to the “conscience and common sense of the population” to avoid a worse scenario.
“We are very concerned about what will happen immediately after the June celebrations, because in addition to the traditional gatherings on farms, ranches and homes, we have a greater proportion of the more aggressive alternative, which is the so-called P.1 variant. [registrada inicialmente em Manaus]said the secretary.
According to Vilas Boas, between February and May of this year, variant P.1 became dominant, responsible for an acceleration in the number of hospitalizations and an increase in the number of deaths throughout Brazil, including Bahia. According to a bulletin from the Central Public Health Laboratory (Lacen), P.1 is currently responsible for 80% of infections in Bahia.
The lab has already sequenced 257 whole genomes of patients from 98 municipalities at nine regional health centers in the state between September 2020 and May this year. So far, no sample with delta (Indian) variant has been identified. Known as the British variant, B.1.1.7 (or alpha) was most common in the state at the start of the pandemic.
“We have high occupancy in intensive care units across the state, above 83%. And we do not have the same capacity to absorb the wave that will occur after São João as we did in 2020, with increases from 500% to 800% in the number of cases in some Inland Cities ”, compared to the secretary.
If they occur during this period, meetings should be limited to the closest people and in outdoor environments, Vilas Boas explained. “If you have to do some kind of celebration, do it inside your family bubble, with the people you already know, and do it outdoors. Living outdoors greatly reduces the chance of contracting Covid-19,” he pointed out.
With no prospect of opening new beds and with high occupancy, Feira de Santana is considering suspending the São Joao holiday on the 24th. According to the Acorda Cidade website, Mayor Colbert Martins is negotiating with employers and trade unions to postpone the holiday. “We’re fixing this, but the municipality’s position will be to postpone the holiday. Stopping a city like this on Thursday, with the cultural traditions we have here, will end up causing more congestion and more transportation,” Colbert.
In a study conducted between April and May in the city, researchers collected 1,400 samples from unvaccinated people who had not previously had Covid-19 and had no symptoms of the disease. Of the total, 143 asymptomatic people have been detected with the virus.
The variant with the highest incidence between groups was specifically P.1. “It is a highly transmissible variant and spreads in a large proportion in Feira de Santana. We have been able to detect a large number of infected, asymptomatic, scattered throughout the city, with a very high viral load and often without using the necessary prevention measures to avoid transmission from other people , notes researcher Professor Luis Alcantara.
Fira’s coronavirus committee coordinator, infection scientist Melissa Falcao, says the agency has advised the city to reduce the opening hours of bars and restaurants. “The outlook is not good in the short term,” he says. “The holiday will be suspended to prevent people from traveling to other cities, polluting others or themselves.”
The president of the Union of Bahia Municipalities (UPB), Ze Coca, also expressed concern about the scenario in the weeks since Sao Joao. John is worried. If residents are not aware, no inspection body is able to contain the situation. “It’s time to keep the distance, not the crowd, so that we don’t have a third wave with much more force,” said Kuka, the mayor of Jiqii City.
Transportation – To avoid displacement, the state government will cut intercity transportation during this period. According to the published decree, from midnight on June 21, circulation and departure will be suspended, and from 9 am on June 21, the arrival of any public transport between public and private cities, in regular, chartered, supplementary, alternative and truck transport. shapes. Registration is valid until 5 a.m. on June 28.
The handling, departure and arrival of ferryboats, speedboats, speedboats and ferries are also prohibited from 8:00 p.m. on June 21 until 5:00 a.m. on June 28, throughout Bahia.
To monitor compliance with the decree prohibiting gatherings, military police الشرطة Backup will be of 7,500 police officers across the state. The agents will be added to the total staff of the institution, which includes 32,000 police officers across Bahia, and will be paid on an overtime basis.
“This mobilization of personnel will result in an investment of R$1.1 million in displacement and an additional pay per day. We are taking staff on an extraordinary basis and increasing this policing in these cities,” explains Major Edmundo Asemani, an army officer. Police Operations Command (COPPM).
Denunciations of underground conglomerates and parties can be made through 190 or the new issue of Disque Denúncia, 181, which serves the entire Bahia region.
Charlotte Whitmore is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and practical information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the UK and beyond.