São Paulo drops vaccine mandates and loosens mask requirements

City Hall in São Paulo will no longer enforce vaccine mandates for events in indoor spaces, according to a recent decree signed by Mayor Ricardo Nunes and Luiz Carlos Zamarco, the city’s top health official.

Mandates were first imposed in September of last year for events hosting 500 or more people, but were extended to all events amid the Omicron spread at the beginning of this year. According to city officials, São Paulo has administered 31.3 million vaccine doses so far — with the equivalent of 53 percent of the city’s adult population already having taken four shots.

Mask mandates in taxis and cars used for ride-hailing are also no longer in place. However, they remain mandatory on public transportation.

Experts are skeptical about the decisions, particularly the move to lift mask requirements. While Brazil’s Covid death toll is at a two-year low, numbers have ticked up in recent days.

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