São Paulo to impose new restrictions as cases continue to climb

The state government of São Paulo is set to announce additional restrictions on December 11 to curb public gatherings, as coronavirus cases go up and hospitals become saturated with demand.

According to newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo, members of the state’s coronavirus committee have pressured authorities to force bars and restaurants to close at 8 pm, two hours earlier than the current limit. Public parties and events will also be more strictly regulated.

The state, however, will avoid more “drastic” measures.

According to a poll published today, 71 percent of Brazilians agree with new restrictions in the wake of a rise in cases and infections.

Support for these measures is overwhelming in all age groups, but a major political cleavage is observed when voters are divided by their opinion of President Jair Bolsonaro’s government. No less than 85 percent of those who deem he is doing a ‘poor’ or ‘just O.K.’ job are favorable to new restrictive measures — this rate drops to 48 percent among Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters.

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