Christ the Redeemer Reopens In Rio de Janeiro With Revised Rules Amid COVID-19 Surge

After almost five months of economic turmoil, Brazil finally opened its doors to one of its most iconic tourist sites, Christ the Redeemer, on Saturday.

“The reopening of the Christ (monument) symbolizes the reopening of Brazil to tourism,” said Environment Minister Ricardo Salles during a recent ceremony which was held at the base of the statue. While the tourist spot is open for the general public, officials have made it clear that one must follow the strict safety protocols: masks, and social distancing.

Unlike how it has been up until now, visitors won’t be allowed to lie on the ground and click photographs of the much-revered statue.

Brazil’s tourism sector was brought to its knees ever since a lockdown was put in place to manage the outbreak. The country endured a loss of over US$28.4 billion in the last five months, as Brazil was compelled to operate at a meager 14% of its capacity.

The weekend also saw the reopening of a volley of popular tourism spots. Pao de Acucar cable car, which offers its own panoramic view of the city, the AquaRio aquarium, and the gigantic Rio Star, Latin America’s largest Ferris wheel.

Rio de Janeiro comprises 17 million inhabitants and has seen a rather grim reality amid the pandemic. The state has logged in 14,500 deaths and nearly 190,000 COVID-19 related infections. Brazil is currently on the second spot among the countries to be the hardest hit by the global health crisis, with over 3 million cases and 106,500 deaths.

Given how the global health crisis has upended the normal ways of being, the much-awaited annual celebrations at the Copacabana beach – that sees the coming together of millions of Brazilians -- will be held virtually. Smaller gatherings will be observed, with fewer and sparsely crowded parties.

Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has made the headlines ever since the outbreak spiraled out of control in March, and a nationwide lockdown was imposed. As per recent polls, 47% of those reportedly surveyed by the Datafolha Institute was of the opinion that the far-right president “is not to blame” unprecedented fatalities, as compared to 41% who believed that he was “one of the culprits (but not the main culprit),” and 11% who see him as the “main culprit.”

Bolsonaro amassed public fury after turning a blind eye toward the infections, dismissing the virus as a “little flu” and instigated people to get out of their homes and work in a desperate bid to keep the country’s economy running.