Belo Horizonte set the pandemic bar high for the rest of Brazil

The city of Belo Horizonte is known as Brazil’s bar capital, with an average of one drinking establishment for every 170 inhabitants. Bar culture is an important part of living in the country’s sixth-largest city, with seemingly every street having its own drinking hole, serving up beer and cachaça alongside plentiful portions of freshly prepared bar snacks. But the residents of Belo Horizonte have had to wait for one year and eight months to once again enjoy a happy hour at their local bar.

Bars have been closed in Belo Horizonte since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, in March of last year. The city’s very own liberation/libation day finally came on October 15, when the municipal government issued new health protocols to reopen food and drink establishments, sporting venues, and shows.

Since then, bars, restaurants, and stores have been open without restrictions, allowing the once-bustling Belo Horizonte to take up old habits once again.

And this strict bar abstinence was a key factor in making the city an example for the rest of Brazil. According to research from Imperial College London, around 328,000 Covid-19 deaths could have been avoided in Brazil were Belo Horizonte’s mortality rates matched by 14 other state capitals.

The study analyzed the rate of deaths in hospitals in Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Goiânia, João Pessoa, Macapá, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Porto Velho, Rio...