BRAZIL SOCIAL APARTHEID
With No Street Carnival, Revelry Is Restricted to Those Who Can Pay for Private Parties

Closed event programming and expensive tickets proliferate Carnival this year

Feb.24.2022 
Mariana Zylberkan
SÃO PAULO

For the second Carnival amid the Covid pandemic, sanitary restrictions in large cities have created what popular culture scholars and block organizers are classifying as a social apartheid.

They criticize what they call "selective cancellation," which, in practice, defines who has and who does not have the right to revelry.

The recent advance of the ômicron variant, which created an upward curve of infected people, caused the city halls of the main carnival destinations in the country to suspend the street carnival, which attracts crowds to the streets.

On the other hand, the advancement of immunization and the creation of the vaccine passport have allowed closed parties to proliferate, as long as health protocols are followed.

According to the São Paulo City Hall, during street carnival there would be no way to demand and inspect proof of vaccination against Covid.

Asked about how the inspection of private parties will be carried out, the city hall said that Sanitary Surveillance agents carry out actions daily.

Tickets for Carnival parties reach R$700 in cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Belo Horizonte.