The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro has indefinitely delayed its annual Carnival parades for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organizers said Thursday that the global spectacle set for February 2021 cannot go ahead because of Brazil's continued vulnerability to the pandemic.
It is the third hardest-hit in the world by the coronavirus after the United States and India, with more than 4.6 infections and nearly 140,000 deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Rio officials have yet to announce a decision about the Carnival street parties that also take place across the city.
Rio's tourism promotion agency said in a statement last week that without a COVID-19 vaccine, it is uncertain when large public events can resume.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
