The Brazilian capital of Brasilia will enter a 24-year closure on Saturday as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations increase, Reuters reports.
Why it’s important: Hospitals in Brasilia, the third largest city in Brazil, have struggled to keep up with hospitalizations for the virus. More than 80 percent of the city’s intensive care beds are occupied, according to Reuters.
Details: Shops, pharmacies, gas stations, churches and funeral homes will remain open because they are considered essential services, but all other services will be closed, according to Reuters.
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who lives and works in Brasilia, on Friday threatened to cut federal funding to states implementing closures, saying they will destroy jobs.
The big picture: UCI beds in the capitals of 17 of Brazil’s 26 states reached their most critical level since the pandemic began a year ago, according to Reuters.
- Brazil reported 65,169 new cases and 1,337 deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours.
- In all, the virus has killed more than 252,830 people in Brazil, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.