Government requires large events to distribute free water to the public

On Tuesday (27), the Federal Government issued an ordinance in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU) that requires large-scale events to provide free water to the public until the end of this year. The initiative was taken due to the high temperatures and low humidity that are affecting the country. The ordinance is valid for 120 days and, after this period, there will be a new assessment of the weather conditions to decide whether it will be extended or revised.

According to the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), concerts, festivals and other events, such as large-scale football matches, are included in this requirement. However, no minimum audience was defined for the application of the rules, leaving it up to the Consumer Protection and Defense Program (Procon) to evaluate each case in situations of non-compliance with the rules.

Hydration rules for event producers

According to the text, companies will have to guarantee free access to personal bottles and provide hydration stations so that the public can fill their bottles. In addition, food and drink outlets and water distribution points must be located in strategic areas of the event to facilitate access for participants.

Other containers of materials that pose a risk to the safety of the public may be confiscated by event staff. The sale of water will not be prohibited, as long as there is a free option, and Procon will monitor the occurrence of abusive prices. Another rule requires that the event have a physical space with adequate structure to carry out rapid rescues in emergency situations.

_{Article about the death of Ana Benevides (Video: reproduction/Youtube/UOL)}

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History and motivations of the new ordinance

The decision on free water was first published in November 2023, after the death of a 23-year-old woman at Taylor Swift's concert in Rio de Janeiro. Ana Benevides was present on the first day of the show, where a temperature of 60°C was recorded inside the stadium, until she suffered a sudden illness. According to the results of the autopsy, the cause of death was thermal exhaustion caused by the heat.

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