Rio de Janeiro delays Carnival due to surging Covid cases

The 2022 Carnival festivities in Rio will be held in late April rather than the final weekend of February (Leo Correa/AP)

The world-famous Carnival festivities in Rio de Janeiro will be held in late April rather than the final weekend of February, as the number of Covid-19 cases in Brazil spikes.

“The decision was made respecting for the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil and the need, at this time, to preserve lives and join forces to drive vaccination throughout the country,” said a statement issued on Friday jointly by the cities of Rio and Sao Paulo, which also delayed the start of its Carnival parades until April 21.