Government cancels Independence Day parade amid Covid-19

The Defense Ministry cancelled Brazil’s Independence Day parade, held every year at the Ministries Esplanade in Brasília on September 7, due to large crowd concerns amid the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the first time the event will not take place since the 1960s.

“… [Brazil], as well as a considerable portion of the world, is facing the Covid-19 pandemic, with the celebration of events that could cause large public gatherings being advised against by the sanitary authorities. The current conditions indicate that such recommendations should still be in place during September, including, in such manner, the period of celebration of the 198^th anniversary of Brazil’s independence proclamation,” read the decision, signed by Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo.

Mr. Azevedo, a reserve Army general himself, also requested that the Armed Forces refrain from holding any kind of in-person celebrations during the date.

The link between Armed Forces officials and the government has been especially strong during President Jair Bolsonaro’s term. His appointments of retired and active military personnel have been higher than any previous government since the end of the military dictatorship in Brazil in 1985. There are at least 6,157 active or reserve military men currently occupying civil office positions in Mr. Bolsonaro’s government, according to analysis made by news website G1.

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