Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival has been postponed for the first time in a century as Brazil continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
The president of Rio’s League of Samba Schools announced the spread of COVID-19 had made it impossible to safely hold the traditional parades in February, which are a cultural mainstay and, for many, a source of livelihood.
A woman wearing a protective face mask sunbathes on Ipanema beach in Rio
Rio’s City Hall has yet to announce a decision about the street parties that take place across the city, though some have already been cancelled.
Brazil’s first confirmed coronavirus case was on 26 February, one day after this year’s carnival ended.
As the number of infections grew, the samba schools that participate in the glitzy annual parade halted preparations for the 2021 event, with the announcement removing the cloud of uncertainty that has hung over the city.
Liesa, the independent samba league, did not give a new date for the festival, saying it would depend on a vaccine.
“It’s increasingly difficult to have carnival without a vaccine,” Leisa President Jorge Castanheira said.
“There is no way to have carnival without safety.”
Brazil has the world’s third-worst coronavirus outbreak after the United States and India, with more than 4.6 million
cases.
The death toll in Latin America’s largest country is 139,808, the second highest after the US.
Mr Castanheira said the 2021 carnival parade could only be delayed until January 2022 at most, so as not to interfere with the following year’s parade.
Brazil’s top 13 samba schools normally parade through the Sambadrome in front of up to 90,000 local residents, tourists and VIPs, with the date changing annually as the festival precedes the Roman Catholic period of Lent.