The governor of Paraná, Brazil, Ratinho Júnior, announced last Friday (24th April) that he will issue a decree earlier this week authorizing the operation of gyms, religious temples and shopping amid the pandemic of the new coronavirus. The state of Paraná has around 1200 confirmed cases and almost 70 deaths. In all there are approximately 120 cities affected by Covid-19. In the country, there are already 60,000 official records and more than 4,000 deaths.
Although he authorized the normalization of these establishments, the governor emphasized the need to maintain social isolation. He also assured that he will be able to step back and suspend activities if necessary.
Meeting with Martial Arts Teachers
Last week, a meeting of leaders of the main martial arts academies of Paraná took place at Palácio Iguaçu, in Curitiba, with the Secretary of the Civil House, Júlio Silva. Present at the meeting, State Representative Alexandre Amaro commented on the proposal to reopen the academies, but following the guidelines for virus prevention.
“Júlio Silva, at the Civil House, attended us very well. I was in the presence of Grand Masters and Master, I mention the name of Rudimar Fedrigo, Edinei Pedroso, Pimpolho, Nika, Madureira, Luiz Fernando, Cicero and several leaders for the demands of the academies (of martial arts). We do not want to open indiscriminately, no. We will measure the temperature and obey all the measures of our Health Secretariat and the WHO (World Health Organization) so that everything goes well”, he pointed out.
Nika Schwinden, a teacher and black belt teacher at Gracie Barra in Curitiba, commented on the meeting: “The meeting was very positive, I believe that the reopening is necessary for the survival of many of these schools and academies. Always following all the safety protocols to make this possible. We need to balance economy and health in the best way, so that we can gradually get around this situation,” he said.