Rio and São Paulo delay their official Carnival parades until April

Brazil's Carnival celebrations face another setback as Covid-19 cases surge.

In a joint statement released Friday, the health departments of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro announced the postponement of their official Carnival parades due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

This decision follows only weeks after both cities called off their informal street parades.

The parades are now scheduled for April, though specific dates haven't been confirmed. However, RioCarnaval.org lists the new parade dates as April 20 to April 30 in Rio.

The parades were initially set to take place from February 25 to March 5.

The official samba school leagues of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have also shared further details about the revised parade dates.

According to Liga SP in São Paulo, the parade will occur during the Tiradentes holiday weekend (April 21). Meanwhile, Rio's league, Liesa, announced that local parades will be held on April 22, 23, and 30.

Earlier in January, both cities decided to cancel their street carnival celebrations, the less formal events led by groups known as 'blocos' in public spaces.

The official Carnival parades in both Rio and São Paulo will be held in purpose-built structures known as 'Sambadromes.'

São Paulo and Rio experience a surge in cases

The health departments' joint statement revealed alarming numbers, showing a dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases across both cities.

In the final two weeks of 2021, São Paulo saw confirmed cases jump from 9,476 to 18,513, while Rio de Janeiro's cases increased from 1,113 to 9,752 in just one week.

By the first week of 2022, case numbers had soared to 40,979 in São Paulo and 50,857 in Rio de Janeiro.