Rio de Janeiro closes beaches as pandemic worsens

Rio de Janeiro closes beaches as COVID-19 pandemic worsens

The beaches of Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro will be closed this weekend, according to a municipal decree enacted on Friday, as the local government seeks to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The measures take effect at midnight on Friday, forbidding all activities from sports to sunbathing and swimming. They are valid through Monday.

Even with a rising number of infections and deaths in Brazil's second-largest city, residents have flocked to the beaches. The state government briefly closed beaches last year, but the measure was soon lifted.

Parking . . .