Rio postpones world-famous Carnival over COVID-19

Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous carnival parade has been postponed, the samba schools that organise the event announced on Thursday, as the country grapples with the second-deadliest coronavirus outbreak in the world. Samba schools in Rio de Janeiro announced they would delay the February 2021 Carnival because of COVID-19, and said it would probably not take place until a vaccine was found. “We came to the conclusion that the event had to be postponed,” said Jorge Castanheira, the president of the group that organises the annual parades, the Independent League of Rio de Janeiro Samba Schools (LIESA). “It’s increasingly difficult to have Carnival without a vaccine. There is no way to have Carnival without safety.” Brazil is dealing with the world’s worst outbreak of COVID-19 after the United States, and the Rio Carnival would pose a huge risk: an extended festival of tightly packed crowds dancing through the streets and flocking to the city’s iconic “Sambadrome” for enormous parades and all-night partying. The festival draws millions of domestic and international tourists to the beachside city every year. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">