Masks on public transport: cities in São Paulo follow State recommendations

This Monday (28), several municipalities in São Paulo began implementing the mandatory use of masks on municipal buses, in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19 and new strains. Cities such as Itaquaquecetuba, Cotia and Praia Grande incorporated the measure following the recommendation of the state government.

On Friday (26), when the São Paulo government announced the mandatory use of masks in the subway, trains and transport between municipalities, several cities adhered to the measure, such as Barueri, Sorocaba, São Carlos, Praia Grande, Campinas, Americana, Sumaré, Hortolândia, Valinhos, Jaguariúna and Louverira.

With Covid-19 high, São Paulo City Hall and State Government resume mandatory use of masks on public transport

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The government of the state of São Paulo and the city hall of the capital of São Paulo announced this Thursday (24) the mandatory return of the use of masks on buses and the subway. The rule will be valid from this Saturday (26).

The measure comes at a time when Covid-19 cases are spiking again in Brazil: according to the latest survey carried out by All for Health Institute (ITpS), the positivity of tests for COVID-2 it went from 20% to 32% in just two weeks, from October 29th to November 12th.

Necessary measure, but arrives late

“The number of Covid cases has been increasing since the end of October. So the resumption of mask use, especially in environments with many people, such as public transport, is late, but essential to reduce viral transmission”, emphasizes Anderson Brito, scientific researcher at ITpS.

He explains that it is necessary to reduce transmission before the number of cases becomes alarming again and results in an increase in deaths.

“Our focus is to avoid serious cases of people who are more vulnerable to the virus, such as young children who have just started to be vaccinated, or those people who do not respond to vaccination in the desired way (immunosuppressed and some elderly people with vulnerabilities)”, explains the researcher .

New variants

According to a report by metropolises, researchers from the genomic sequencing laboratory at the Faculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC), in São Paulo, announced the identification of two new variants of the coronavirus BQ.1, one of the Ômicron types, which had never been registered in Brazil.

According to the researchers, BQ.1.1.17 and BQ.1.1.18 were found in mildly ill patients, but it is not yet possible to say whether the variants can be lethal or evade the immunity generated by vaccines.

See also other features:

Field hospital reopens in Campinas with increase in covid-19 cases

The city of Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo, decided to reopen the field hospital for the hospitalization of patients with covid-19. The municipality also once again “strongly” recommended the use of a mask, which is already in force in closed environments and on municipal public transport. Campinas is the largest city in the interior of São Paulo, has 1,2 million inhabitants and is facing an increase in cases and hospitalizations due to Covid-19.