Brazil’s Rio De Janerio has recorded a 90% occupancy rate of the intensive care beds in the city’s hospitals and continues to experience a steep surge in the COVID-19 infections. As a result, authorities extended pandemic restrictions across the city on Friday. 

The city’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, said that the two-week-long restrictions have shown progress, however, people-to-people contact remains to be vital.

He said, “You have to give a little more time, no matter how hard it is for companies and for those looking for work to earn a living. These decreases in people-to-people contact are already paying off,” adding that he wishes to open up public places but is unable to as the extension is based on “scientific data.”

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Brazil, being the second-worst impacted country in terms of mortality rates, has crossed the tally of 325,000 COVID-19 related deaths while the previous month recorded 66,573 deaths, signalling the highest spike since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Brazil has an average mortality rate of 141 for every 100,000 residents, a major contributor to which is the Rio De Janerio, which has an individual rate of 215 in every 100,000. 

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The extended restrictions in Brazil’s second most populous city will be focusing on areas that have the potential for COVID-19 transmission. Public areas like movie theatres, bars, museums and restaurants have been ordered to remain shut till Friday, which will be followed by gradual re-opening.  

Schools will be permitted to re-open on Tuesday for offline classes, according to the mayor.

The beaches will be sealed off for visitors till at least April 19 with rising social interaction.