The Rio de Janeiro city government announced on Saturday that the city’s popular New Year’s Eve celebration will be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, the city government said that the event, which draws millions of people to the iconic Copacabana beach each year, “is not viable in the pandemic scenario, without the existence of a vaccine.”

The statement said the city’s tourism bureau will soon present alternative event proposals to Mayor Marcelo Crivella that are “without in-person attendance, in a virtual format” and that take into account “an atmosphere of reflection and hope in the face of so many losses.”

The future of Rio de Janeiro’s pre-Lenten Carnival samba performances and street parties, which normally take place in February, is still uncertain.

The city government’s statement says that the local tourism bureau …continued .
[Original Source: CNN]