Brazil's Sao Paulo suspends face-to-face classes until April 5

SAO PAULO - Face-to-face classes at public and private schools in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo will be suspended from March 17 to April 5, as part of a move to curb the spread of COVID-19 amid rising hospital admissions, Mayor Bruno Covas announced Friday.

"It is a necessary measure to reduce transmission levels," Covas said at a press conference.

Covas took a stricter measure than the one ordered by Sao Paulo State Governor Joao Doria, who said it was up to the schools to decide.

According to the local government, only 5 percent of beds in intensive care units at municipal hospitals in Sao Paulo were available.

The state of Sao Paulo declared a health emergency on Thursday, imposing strict lockdown measures, including a curfew, from March 15 to March 30.

The city of Sao Paulo has seen 19,473 COVID-19 deaths and 553,751 cases of infection, while Brazil as a whole has reported 275,105 deaths and more than 11.3 million cases.