Vehicle restriction in São Paulo: Bruno Covas Announces Return from 05/18: Change was announced this Sunday (17) after a more restrictive and expanded measure had no effect on the isolation index. Mayor sent a bill to the Chamber that anticipates municipal holidays to try to make the ‘city stop’.
Vehicle restriction in São Paulo: Bruno Covas Announces Return 5/18
The mayor of São Paulo, Bruno Covas (PSDB), announced this Sunday morning (17) the resumption of the Traditional Car Rotation in the city. The measure comes into effect as of this Monday (18).
“We will publish in the extra edition of the Official Gazette this Sunday the resumption of the traditional rotation that we are used to,” he said at a virtual press conference.
According to the mayor, the extended and more restrictive rotation, which came into force on Monday (11), had no effect on the city’s isolation index, which remained below expectations by the municipal administration.
“It makes no sense for us to demand this supernatural effort from people if, from a practical point of view, the only reason that the rotation (expanded) was made, which is to increase social isolation, was not fulfilled. We remain below 50%, ”said Covas.
With the new decree, the rotation again restricts the circulation of vehicles according to the final number of the license plate and the day of the week, only in the expanded center and at peak times, as was done previously:
- Monday:
- End of plate 1 and 2
- Tuesday
- End of plate 3 and 4
- Wednesday:
- End of plate 5 and 6
- Thursday:
- End of plate 7 and 8
- Friday:
- End of plate 9 and 0
Last week, in an attempt to discourage the movement of people, the City of São Paulo tightened the rules for the circulation of cars in the city.
By determination, vehicles with even-end plates could only run on even days of the week, and vehicles with an odd end on odd days. The measure was valid throughout the city, 24 hours a day, including Saturdays and Sundays.
However, the indexes remain similar to those previously recorded, when the government was already concerned with the disrespect of the population to quarantine.
On Tuesday, May 6, the registered rate was 47%, as well as on Tuesday, 12. On Friday (14), in the capital, the number fell compared to the previous day and reached 48%.
“There was only a small improvement in the only index we have. The only index available to measure isolation, based on the location of cell phones in relation to signal antennas. Comparing Friday the 8th, with Friday the 15th, we went up just two percentage points, going from 46% to 48% of isolation, remaining below 50% ”, said the mayor this Sunday.
Rotation was the city’s second strategy to try to increase the rate of social isolation. Days before, the municipal administration even made blockages on major roads in the city. The measure was widely criticized, as it affected professionals of essential services, mainly in the health area.
Fines in the Rodizio period
Also according to Covas, the fines imposed during the seven days that the restrictive rotation remained in effect will be maintained. “Whoever was fined was fined”, he guaranteed.
Covas said, however, that the funds requested for release during that period will be assessed and the deadlines will only start counting after the end of the pandemic.
During the press conference, Covas defended the need for stoppage to contain the spread of the disease. The mayor said that the municipal administration, after two attempts to control the flow, finds itself with few resources to change the index.
“We need to expand the isolation. We need it fast and we are running out of alternatives. ”
And he stressed that the municipal administration has no structure to close the city in isolation.
“Before we think about opening, we need to stop. But it must be said that the city hall alone does not have all the main instruments to completely close the city. Our constitutional competence in security is very limited. There is no case in the world of public authority without police power, without public security, that can implement a lockdown. Furthermore, the capital is not an island like New Zealand. We are not isolated from the world. ”
Holiday Anticipation
The mayor said that this Sunday (17), he sent to the City Council a project in an emergency regime proposing the anticipation of municipal holidays as a strategy to change the rate of social isolation, while a possible closure of the city is prepared by the government.
“The city of São Paulo is a minority partner, but does not control the Metro or the trains. São Paulo needs to slow down even more for one day to decrease the rate of contagion again and save lives. While we must prepare for this gigantic and unprecedented task, we must be creative and use all the instruments that are within our reach. ”
The idea, according to Covas, is to take a “forced break” in the city. “The use of municipal holidays is up my sleeve. I am sending the bill to the House to anticipate the last two municipal holidays of Corpus Christi and Consciência Negra. [They] would be this year as optional points. We will keep the dates, but without the mandatory holiday ”, he said.
The mayor said he would suggest to Governor João Doria (PSDB) that he do the same for the holiday of 9 July, the anniversary of the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution.
The mayor, alderman Eduardo Tuma (PSDB), also present at the press conference, said that the project will be on the agenda in the municipal legislature this Monday (18th). The government’s expectation is to get approval by Tuesday (19).
Risk of Collapse
The Municipal Secretary of Health, Edson Aparecido, said on Sunday (17) that deaths from The New Coronavirus rose 432% in less than a month in the city of São Paulo.
According to the secretary, there are many more suspected cases of the disease than have been confirmed so far.
He also said that the municipal health system could be compromised in 15 days if new measures are not taken.
City of São Paulo (cases of Covid-19 ):
- 135,348 people suspected of the disease
- 38,479 confirmed cases
- 2,766 confirmed deaths
- 3,143 suspected deaths
“From April 9 to May 15, there was a 432% increase in the number of deaths in our city. As the mayor said, of the 840 beds, 89% of them were occupied. Since, in 6 hospitals, we reached the capacity of operational beds of 100% of the occupation ”, said Aparecido.
“Until April 23, we had an average of 812 notification cases per day. Last night we arrived at the notification of 3,867 cases per day ”, stressed the secretary.
“In 15 days, the health system in São Paulo will be deeply compromised, even with all the efforts made so far in expanding beds. This will all be insufficient for the degree of evolution that we have at the moment of the disease ”, added Aparecido.