As the caseload continues to soar in Brazil, Rio Open tennis tournament was cancelled to prevent further escalation. The current situation of COVID-19 in Brazil and the world necessitated this cancellation.
The situation in Brazil has spun out of control and authorities have been forced to take certain steps that can take a heavy toll on the country’s economy. The RO tennis tournament is not the only event cancelled due to the aggravating situations. Public gatherings and weekend recreational activities have also been suspended. All public and private hospitals of the country are fully occupied.
As of April 2021, nearly 320,000 people have died in South America due to COVID-19.
Brazil ranks second in the world in number of deaths due to the pandemic. The state of Rio De Janeiro has had nearly 35,000+ new cases in the last 10 days. Many restrictions have been imposed by Brazil government to de-escalate the caseload of patients in the country. Right now, Brazil is going through one its worst and deadliest times since the emergence of the pandemic in the country. Therefore, abating preventive measures would be a giant mistake. Lifting restrictions and easing preventive measures previously took a heavy toll on public health in Brazil and the government does not want to make the same mistake again. The cancellation of the RO tennis tournament is one of the steps taken by the authorities to fight the recent hike in cases.
The Rio Open is the biggest tournament in South America. Tennis fans from all over the world come to watch this event. And a massive public gathering like this entails a great public health risk. The organizers of the Rio Open tennis tournament announced its cancellation a few days ago. The organizers said that the event was cancelled due to the worsening coronavirus condition in Brazil. “Due to the uncertainty associated with the situation, the Rio open tennis tournament will not be held this year,” organizers made a statement on Thursday.
The Rio Open has already been postponed from its original dates. It was scheduled to take place in February and the ongoing uncertainty around the pandemic necessitated its cancellation finally. The organizers of the Rio Open tennis tournament fought persistently to arrange the event despite the public health challenge. But, the recent spike in cases in Brazil forced them to cancel the event. “We fought until the very end to be able to play this year, but it’s not possible unfortunately,” said Luiz Carvalho, the RO tennis tournament director.
The last Rio Open tennis tournament was held in February 2020 with Chile’s Cristian Garin as its winner. The final of the last edition of the RO tournament was held on February 23, 2020, nearly a week before the pandemic erupted in the country. The next edition of the RO tennis tournament will be held in February 2022, according to RO organizers.
