São Paulo to launch “intelligent” quarantine, says governor

Governor João Doria announced he intends to extend quarantine in São Paulo state from June 1 onward, but this time in an “intelligent way,” accounting for the situation in each individual region. More details are set to come in a press briefing on May 27, but the governor is keen to avoid putting the state on full lockdown. 

“We’ll have a new quarantine. But it will be an intelligent quarantine, as it will take into consideration the regionalization of São Paulo, the interior, the capital, and metropolitan areas. The decision won’t be homogeneous,” said Mr. Doria, in an interview with GloboNews. 

The decision to change quarantine procedures comes after a six-day holiday created in an attempt to boost social isolation levels in the state, which is currently the epicenter of Covid-19 in Brazil. Last week, the mayor of the city of São Paulo, Bruno Covas, said the holiday would be the government’s final attempt to boost isolation, after other failed initiatives — such as changing vehicle restriction rules — backfired. 

The state government said that Sunday’s social isolation levels were finally above the minimum level deemed necessary to contain the spread of the coronavirus, reaching 55 percent in the state’s interior and 57 percent in the capital. However, as we explained in our May 25 Weekly Briefing, Sunday’s performance was an exception, as social isolation was below necessary levels on every other day of the extended holiday.

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