Covid-19 disrupting Rio's Carnival for first time in a century

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A cloud of uncertainty that has hung over Rio de Janeiro throughout the covid-19 pandemic has been lifted, but gloom remains the annual Carnival parade of flamboyant samba schools won’t be held in February. And while the decision is being characterized as a postponement of the event, no new date has been set.

Rio’s League of Samba Schools, LIESA, announced Thursday night that the spread of the covid-19 has made it impossible to safely hold the traditional parades that are a cultural mainstay and for many a source of livelihood.

Luiz Antonio Simas, a historian who specializes in Rio’s Carnival, said in an interview, Carnival is a party upon which many humble workers depend. The samba schools are community institutions, and the parades are just one detail of all that. An entire cultural and productive chain was disrupted by Covid-19.

Rio’s City Hall has yet to announce a decision about the Carnival street parties that also take place across the city. But its tourism promotion agency said in a statement to The Associated Press on Sept. 17 that without a coronavirus vaccine, it is uncertain when large public events can resume. As the number of infections grew, the samba schools that participate in the glitzy annual parade halted preparations for the 2021 event.

Nearly all of Rio’s samba schools are closely linked to working class communities. Their processions include elaborate floats accompanied by tireless drummers and costumed dancers who sing at the top of their lungs to impress a panel of judges. Tens of thousands of spectators pack the bleachers of the arena, known as the Sambadrome, while tens of millions watch on television.