São Paulo extends quarantine until April 22

São Paulo Governor João Doria has extended quarantine rules until at least April 22. The decision was made after a meeting between 15 experts and government officials. The coronavirus has already reached 100-plus São Paulo municipalities and over 400 hospitals, both private and public. 

“No agglomeration of any kind and in any city will be tolerated. Municipal guards shall act upon [transgressions] and, if necessary, request assistance from the Military Police,” said Mr. Doria. According to government data, admittance of Covid-19 in intensive care units has spiked 1,500 percent since March 20 — from 33 to 524 patients as of April 3. Brazil’s most-populated state, São Paulo has registered 4,620 coronavirus infections so far.

The quarantine extension follows World Health Organization recommendations — and goes in the opposite direction of what President Jair Bolsonaro preaches. Mr. Bolsonaro has said it is important to allow healthy workers to get back to their regular lives in order to save the economy and avoid a boom in unemployment rates.

• #sãoPaulo