Rio De Janeiro To Block Beach Access On New Year's Eve
12/28/20 AT 8:06 PM
Rio de Janeiro authorities announced Monday they will block beach access the night of December 31 to prevent crowds in one of Brazil's worst-hit cities by the coronavirus pandemic.
The measures will include a ban on vehicles along some 30 kilometers (19 miles) of Rio's coastline, where millions of people typically gather every December 31 to ring in the new year with elaborate firework displays.
Only inhabitants of the surrounding neighborhoods will be able to walk in the area.
Violations may be punished with fines of up to 15,000 reais ($2,800).
"What we want to make clear, beyond those restrictions, is that a lot depends on us," he said. "Spend a conscious New Year and stay at home."