One million commuters return to public transport in São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil’s richest and most populous city, began its gradual return to work this week, following over two months of quarantine. On Thursday, over 3 million people were recorded using the city’s public transport system, down from the pre-pandemic average of 10 million commuters per day. However, this marks a 50-percent increase from the start of the week, when “only” 2 million persons used public transport.

The majority of the 3 million commuters used the service during rush hour, which poses a challenge to officials trying to avoid generating crowds. To prevent further spread of the coronavirus, hygiene measures are being intensified: trains are cleaned at each terminal at the end of every cycle. The number of trains has also been reduced depending on time and demand.

As the number of cases and the death toll continue to climb in São Paulo, the worst affected state in Brazil with 129,000 cases and 8,560 deaths, The Brazilian Report showed how consumers are still wary of risking their health as businesses begin to reopen.

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