Rio's State of Emergency Closes Christ Statue
2020-03-19
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1The Christ the Redeemer statue has sat on top of Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro for nearly 90 years.
2Almost 90 million people visited the nearly 40-meter high statue last year.
3Now, it is being forced to close, at least temporarily.
4 The reason: the coronavirus outbreak.
5The Christ the Redeemer statue closed at day's end on Tuesday and will not reopen for at least a week.
6Brazil's Chico Mendes Institute ordered the closure of all national parks it oversees to fight coronavirus and COVID-19, the name of the disease caused by the virus.
7On Tuesday, Rio's governor, Wilson Witzel, declared a state of emergency.
8Just one day earlier, the city's famous coastline was filled with people.
9Now the beaches are empty.
10Witzel's declaration calls on restaurants and bars to limit themselves to 30 percent capacity for 15 days.
11Boats and buses are to cut their passenger loads in half.
12Brazilians are being told to avoid beaches and swimming in public places.
13The declaration also suspended classes and all other activities and events that involve gatherings.
14"We are afraid, we feel unsafe," said Maurilivia Gomes, who was visiting Rio from Goias state.
15She spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday from inside a near-empty train to the top of the statue.
16"We're taking the necessary measures. And we're also going to enjoy what we can," she added.
17Brazil has recorded almost 300 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
18More than 50 percent are in Sao Paulo, followed by Rio, notes the health ministry.
19Across the country, some local government leaders have announced steps aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.
20Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has warned the measures could damage the economy.
21He expressed skepticism of the virus' severity.
22He told one radio station, "What is incorrect is the hysteria, as though it were the end of the world. A nation like Brazil, for example, will only be free when a certain number of people are infected and create antibodies." .
23People who work in the tourism industry are worried about their jobs.
24"We have to count on the hope that we can find a family that wants to walk around and do something at least, so we can earn something this month," noted Alexandre Faria Carbonelli.
25He spoke to The Associated Press.
26At the Christ statue, Rio's Catholic Church is planning a light show for Wednesday night.
27It will show the flags of nations fighting coronavirus on the lonely statue.
1The Christ the Redeemer statue has sat on top of Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro for nearly 90 years. Almost 90 million people visited the nearly 40-meter high statue last year. Now, it is being forced to close, at least temporarily. The reason: the coronavirus outbreak. 2The Christ the Redeemer statue closed at day's end on Tuesday and will not reopen for at least a week. 3Brazil's Chico Mendes Institute ordered the closure of all national parks it oversees to fight coronavirus and COVID-19, the name of the disease caused by the virus. 4On Tuesday, Rio's governor, Wilson Witzel, declared a state of emergency. Just one day earlier, the city's famous coastline was filled with people. Now the beaches are empty. 5Witzel's declaration calls on restaurants and bars to limit themselves to 30 percent capacity for 15 days. Boats and buses are to cut their passenger loads in half. Brazilians are being told to avoid beaches and swimming in public places. The declaration also suspended classes and all other activities and events that involve gatherings. 6"We are afraid, we feel unsafe," said Maurilivia Gomes, who was visiting Rio from Goias state. She spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday from inside a near-empty train to the top of the statue. 7"We're taking the necessary measures. And we're also going to enjoy what we can," she added. 8Brazil has recorded almost 300 confirmed cases of Covid-19. More than 50 percent are in Sao Paulo, followed by Rio, notes the health ministry. 9Across the country, some local government leaders have announced steps aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has warned the measures could damage the economy. He expressed skepticism of the virus' severity. 10He told one radio station, "What is incorrect is the hysteria, as though it were the end of the world. A nation like Brazil, for example, will only be free when a certain number of people are infected and create antibodies." . 11People who work in the tourism industry are worried about their jobs. 12"We have to count on the hope that we can find a family that wants to walk around and do something at least, so we can earn something this month," noted Alexandre Faria Carbonelli. He spoke to The Associated Press. 13At the Christ statue, Rio's Catholic Church is planning a light show for Wednesday night. It will show the flags of nations fighting coronavirus on the lonely statue. 14I'm Jonathan Evans. 15The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 16________________________________________________________________ 17redeemer - n. to make new or clean 18outbreak - n. the sudden occurrence of war or disease 19park - n. a green place where children play and people gather 20bar - n. a place where people go to drink alcohol 21capacity - n. the full amount 22skepticism - n. to express disbelief 23hysteria - n. uncontained panic and fear 24tourism - n. visiting a place for entertainment