LatinNews Daily - 06 January 2022

* After the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro announced that street carnival celebrations would not be permitted this year over concerns with the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19), notably the omicron variant of the virus, a number of other cities have cancelled part or all of the culturally and economically significant event. The municipalities of Maceió (Alagoas state), Recife, and Olinda (both Pernambuco state) all announced on 5 January the cancellation of official carnival events, which would have been held in the last week of February and first of March. In Olinda, the mayor Lupércio Carlos do Nascimento announced that financial aid would be put in place to compensate artists and street sellers whose livelihoods depend upon the annual event. In São Paulo, where authorities have yet to make a decision about whether to hold carnival celebrations and under which format, a group representing 250 street parades (‘blocos’) has announced they will not be participating due to public health concerns. Salvador in Bahia state, one of the main carnival destinations after Rio, had earlier confirmed the cancellation of its carnival programme.