According to a survey by GaúchaZH, most municipalities are becoming more flexible due to pressure from businesspeople and trade associations.
Nine of the 18 largest cities in Rio Grande do Sul are relaxing their rules to allow restaurants, chocolate shops, snack bars, hairdressers and barbershops to reopen.
All municipalities that joined have more than 100 thousand inhabitants.
On Thursday (9), Governor Eduardo Leite had given the mayors the task of analyzing the return of activities, as long as they all complied with hygiene rules and the ban on crowds.
The scenario shows that the decisions were driven not only by Eduardo Leite's decision, but mainly by pressure from businesspeople and trade associations, who were warning about economic losses.
According to the GaúchaZH survey, in the other nine municipalities consulted, which have not yet joined.
Four said they will maintain the restriction rules, such as São Leopoldo and Porto Alegre. And five mayors said they are analyzing, planning decisions for next week.
“We couldn’t be against it, since the governor authorized some activities. We just followed the guidelines,” said Jorge Olavo Castro, Health Secretary of Caxias do Sul.
In the Metropolitan Region, the mayor of Viamão, Valdir Jorge Elias, known as Russinho, said that the pressure from shopkeepers is very great. “We understand, some people are going bankrupt,” he commented.
Concern
On the other hand, liberalizing measures are worrying some mayors due to the effects they can have on the population.
On Monday (13) in Novo Hamburgo, Fátima Daudt will make a decision. But she notes problems that occurred after individual interpretations of the state decree.
“Some thought they could work automatically even with shows.
On Thursday night (9), our inspection was at a pub, a concert hall and a gas station where parties and crowds were taking place”, reported Fátima.
Among those against the release, there are criticisms of Leite's stance, which would be handing over responsibilities to the municipalities.
“Since there is no adequate testing, we do not know the degree of circulation of the virus. Today we are working with an invisible enemy and social distancing is the best alternative,” said Alexandre Lindenmeyer, mayor of Rio Grande.
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