Rivers are the only mode of transport in the interiors of the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil, but now with the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Amazon Rainforest villages have distanced from the rest of the world due to the numerous constraints set on the flow of boat traffic.
Various modes of transport to convey goods and essential commodities for the villagers are all waterborne, such as canoes, motorboats, and ferries, and nowadays, it even takes more than a week for them to complete their journeys.
Authorities have taken drastic measures to curb the spreading of the Coronavirus by putting a check on the river traffic, allowing only those who are of utmost necessity.
Jefferson Caldas, the regional coordinator national health agency Anvisa has said in one of his addresses that although there have been no changes in the functioning of the Cargo transports. The usual means of transportation for passengers restricted to only imperative situations like health emergencies and government services like paramedics and police.
Also, further constraints have been put on these active means of transport, like 60 percent of their capacity has been reserved for water supply, soap and hand sanitizer, and other essentials.
Experts on transportation planning at the Amazonas Federal University have expressed their concern for the people living in the rainforest as the new impositions have made their life come to a standstill.
The most common mode of transport for the commuters are big diesel-engine ferries called “regionals”.
During their travel, they usually use hammocks to rest. Still, as these adverse times require the people to practice social distancing, the authorities have ordered to maintain a minimum distance of 2 meters between the hammocks.
There are reports of more than 532 cases of the novel coronavirus in Amazonas, the largest state of Brazil, which is a heavily wooded zone with a total area that exceeds the size of Peru and Ecuador combined. The density of the acquired cases is the most in the capital city of Manaus, which has also experienced 19 deaths.
The pandemic outbreak has put the lives of the aboriginals at risk as their lack of immunity to the various common pathogens due to lack of exposure makes them more susceptible to acquiring the deadly virus.
Only last week, the first case among the natives was detected who was a health worker from the Kokama ethnic group and the reason being close contact with an infected doctor.
The imposed restrictions have caused detrimental effects for families who earn their living from fishing and gathering in stilt-house villages along the banks of rivers.
Movements have also been restricted as a precautionary measure in nearby places from Manaus like Carauri, even if there has not been a single case of coronavirus reported as of now.
Edervan Vieira, a technical adviser to an association of farmers and fishermen, talks of the economic impacts that the transport restrictions have brought about on the locals who depend on the sales of their products to make a living.
On the other hand, positive news of adequate supply of necessary items like fruit, fish, cassava flour, etc. have been reported from the nature reserves of Medio Jurua.
The dwellers there fear the need to travel to the city if there arises any medical emergency as that would increase the chances of bringing the virus back with them.
