Electoral campaign in SP is marked by crowds, voter handshakes and misuse of the mask | 2020 elections in São Paulo

TO G1, candidates from the City of São Paulo reported difficulties in carrying out the 2020 electoral campaign amid the pandemic and complying with the safety regulations determined by health authorities to prevent the spread of the disease.

Celso Russomanno (Republicans), Márcio França (PSB) and Joice Hasselmann (PSL), for example, were often caught on camera without masks during schedules, both on the streets and in closed environments with large numbers of people.

The PSB candidate, Márcio França, admitted that, “sometimes”, he took off his mask to speak to the public, due, according to him, “to the enthusiasm of the moment.”

“Without a doubt, it is the most difficult campaign I have ever done. I did many, but in this you see people and you see anguish, because they are not so understanding, because people with masks cannot express all the feeling, their speech. Many times neither you can even understand what the person with a mask says, ”said França.

France said he used to greet people with just a ‘punch’. “Only they hug us, they want to talk. If you don’t like that hug, that greeting, the feeling is different, it gives the impression that you are despising the person,” he defended.

Health doctor Ana Freitas Ribeiro, who is part of the Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases, says she is concerned about this year’s campaign, especially about the crowds caused during street agendas.

“The main form of transmission of the SARS-COV-2 virus is respiratory, from droplets expelled by patients when coughing, sneezing and talking. People close to two meters can become infected,” said the doctor.

“People on the move should always wear the mask and wash their hands frequently, as well as being careful when removing the mask and putting it back on the face as it can become infected,” he explained.

Candidate Celso Russomanno was seen several times wearing a transparent mask with breathing valves.

Research published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, however, does not recommend the model, as it understands that you exhale polluted air into the environment if you have the disease.

The survey was published in Brazil by researcher Marcel Ribeiro-Dantas, who is part of the Curie Institute, a public services foundation in France.

The candidate assured that he opted for the model out of “respect” for people with hearing disabilities, allowing this audience to see their lips and, in this way, understand what they are saying.

“The use of a transparent mask is a mask of inclusion, the use is done out of respect for people with disabilities and they use lip reading to understand what is going on,” said Russomanno.

The candidate also said that he had difficulty containing the public’s approach. According to the candidate’s press office, “people love, trust and want to get closer” to Russomanno, who “tries to avoid everything possible, but this contact ends up happening.”

Russomanno also argued that he wasn’t the only one who had a hard time keeping his distance. “The other candidates face the same problem.”

PSL candidate Joice Hasselmann said that since she had already contracted the virus, she would not need to wear the mask.

“I already had the disease, I already had Covid, and I do tests frequently to see if I am still immunized and I am still immunized, that is why I am no longer in the group that catches or passes. However, I have been constantly monitoring”, said. she.

The candidate also spoke of some voters who did not wear protective gear and said she had no way to “demand” the use.

“There is no way to demand a mask from someone who doesn’t even have rice and beans at home, we need to have a sense of the reality of what this country called São Paulo is,” he added.

“It is natural that people, in a political campaign, want to look at your face, want to talk, want to hug, want to exchange a little affection,” said Joice.

Boulos (PSOL) and Antonio Candido (PCO) were always on the agenda, but they did distribute brochures, which, according to experts, may be a risk factor for contamination by coronavirus.

“It is possible for the Covid-19 virus to survive on surfaces, such as paper, for 24 hours, and plastic, for up to 3 days. As soon as a person touches any surface, paper, or other material, they should wash their hands with water. And soap or use 70% alcohol ”, warns Emílio Ribas’s health worker.

The epidemiologist from the University of São Paulo (USP), Márcia Furquim, said that the ideal was that the distribution of leaflets in the streets had been avoided.

“The Covid virus is transmitted by droplets and if we put the contaminated hand on the paper, there is a risk, yes. In fact, in addition, when delivering the pamphlet, proximity is necessary, and if the risk of spreading the disease is not masked, it increases, “he said.

“Common sense is necessary. It is not the best thing to do. [a panfletagem] during a pandemic ”, says the expert.

When questioned on the subject, the Boulos and Cândido campaigns did not appear.

Bruno Covas (PSDB), in treatment for cancer and seeking re-election, made many external agendas, but always with a mask and avoiding spending too much time indoors with many people. Like Joice, the current mayor has also had the virus.

“I like being a politician. Precisely for this reason, the most rewarding moments are those in which I can be among the people, talking to the population. But this year, due to the pandemic, we were forced to carry out a totally atypical electoral campaign. It was a challenge, but we did it with the necessary rigor and always following the guidelines of science “, said Bruno Covas to G1 when asked about the difficulties of the campaign in 2020.

Agglomerations and social networks

Jilmar Tatto (PT) was also unable to escape the crowds and, even wearing a mask, greeted voters with handshakes and “punches.”

“We have not held events that bring together a large number of people, mainly indoors. In some external agendas, groups of militants approach Tatto to take pictures, but the team ensures that they all wear a mask and apply alcohol gel to their hands. ”Said the council of the PT candidate.

So far, according to the candidate’s office, no person involved in the PT campaign has been infected by the virus. The party claimed to be “undermined by the conditions imposed by the pandemic, since historically it is a party that takes to the streets to talk to people” and that, to make up for this “loss”, it invested heavily in social media this year.

Andrea Matarazzo (PSD), Marina Helou (Rede) and Arthur do Val (Patriotas) reduced the number of external agendas with large numbers of people and tried to visit places with few people.

“It has been a very different campaign in many ways. First, you need to make yourself known, going to places, and at the same time you have to wear a mask, hiding your face, so the difficulty for people to recognize it is great. you can hold meetings and, if you can’t hold meetings, you are very limited in terms of exposing your project, ”Matarazzo told G1.

Marina and Matarazzo had specific external agendas, with few advisers and seeking care in contact with people.

Arthur do Val, for his part, said that, as he is known on social networks, the fact of “not holding rallies did not hinder”, “unlike other candidates who always depended on the old politics to win voters,” he tried compare.

“I am known for the YouTube channel and I used this medium and social networks to bring my campaign projects to my followers and voters,” said the candidate.

Vera Lúcia (PSTU) opted for virtual broadcasts and debates with voters of different categories through the internet and social networks, seeking to stay away from the streets.

The candidate for deputy mayor of Boulos, federal deputy Luiza Erundina, 85, used a car with glass to stay away from people and avoid contamination. This is the “Erundinamóvel”, a vehicle similar to the popemobile and which transported the candidate during some PSOL events.

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