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Yesterday (30), the Maranhão court decreed confinement – a term that can be translated as a maximum blockade – of the cities of São Luís, Raposa, Paço do Lumiar and São José de Ribamar due to the epidemic of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). As of this judicial decision, the operation of all non-essential activities of these municipalities will be prohibited for a period of ten days, which will take effect next Tuesday (5).
The decision was only made at the request of the Maranhão Public Ministry. According to the prosecutors in the case, the measure is necessary because the 112 ICU beds in the state network that were intended for patients with COVID-19 are occupied, that is, there is no more capacity of the health system to help new patients.
But after all, what is the difference between confinement and quarantine? And what changes are there between these two situations for the contingency of new cases of COVID-19? Have most states not been quarantined since March?
Quarantine
Quarantine is understood as a restrictive measure for the transit of people, both in public and private areas, to decrease the transmission of the new coronavirus. This is an official measure, adopted by each Brazilian state and regulated by decree. It is the way most Brazilians have lived since mid-March.
However, with the rules stipulated by each state or municipality, there is only one recommendation that people stay in their homes for a period of approximately 15 days, with the possibility (or not) of extension, depending on the situation. In São Paulo, for example, the quarantine was extended for two weeks.
Also yesterday, the city of São Paulo announced that it could make the quarantine restrictions “tighter”, that is, the measure should be extended again. “The possibility of loosening current rules in the short term is remote,” explains the published note. This is because the social isolation rate remains below 50%, and the recommended minimum to contain COVID-19 progress is 70%.
Among the establishments that may remain open during the quarantine, are the essential products shops (markets and pharmacies), as well as health, financial services (banks and lotteries), hygiene (laundries and cleaning services), accommodation, workshops, pet stores, among others.
Brazil
Officially, the country has not declared a national quarantine state. They are the states that have autonomy to define the quarantine conditions and, without national guidelines, organize to contain the progress of COVID-19. In this scenario, the measure was adopted by 23 Brazilian states and has been increasingly flexible.
The state of Rio de Janeiro was the first in the federation to join the quarantine on March 17. As of the decree, 30 municipalities in the interior of the state, which had no registered cases of coronavirus, were free to open trade normally.
Meanwhile, São Paulo, the state with the most cases in Brazil (and deaths that exceed the 2,300 death mark), has its quarantine extended to all municipalities. The measure, initially enacted for 15 days on March 21, was postponed until at least May 10, with a new possibility of an extension.
Blocking
Despite being a termthe American who refers to the quarantine state, in Brazil, uses confinement to name the total block. In fact, it is a more rigid measure, where there is, in fact, a restriction on the transit of people. Very different from quarantine, which is a recommendation, the confinement It is an imposition of the authorities.
In this condition, the population of each state or municipality that establishes the confinement You can only leave the house in really necessary cases. However, pharmacies, hospitals, and markets remain open, generally only during restricted hours. It is this situation that must be applied, first, in the cities of Maranhão.
On the judicial decision to block the island of São Luís, tomorrow I will have a press conference at 10 in the morning. I would like to inform you that, of course, the decision of the Judiciary will be followed. However, I clarify that ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES, such as food and medicine, will remain OPEN.
– Flávio Dino 🇧🇷 (@FlavioDino) April 30, 2020
On Twitter, the state governor, Flávio Dino, declared that he will comply with the court order and guaranteed that essential activities, such as food and pharmacies, will remain open. During the lockout period, automobile circulation is prohibited, except for the purchase of food or medicine and the transportation of people to hospitals.
In addition, the entry of vehicles into São Luís will also be prohibited, with the exception of ambulances, cars with passengers going to hospitals, vehicles and vehicles with loads of essential products, which can cross the barriers. Bank branches must also operate, but only for the payment of benefits.
Source: Agência Brasil, IstoÉ and UOL
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