Zoraide Souza Pessoa1
Department of Public Policy and the Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Studies
Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte
Alfredo Marcelo Grigio2
Department of Environmental Management and Postgraduate Programs in Geography and Natural Sciences
State University of Rio Grande do Norte
Until the end of March of this year, the Covid19 outbreak, which began in December 2019 in the province of Wuhan (China), was something apparently distant from the reality in the city of Mossoró. It was on March 21, 2020 that the city recorded its first case. A week later, on the 28th, the first death from the disease occurred in Rio Grande do Norte. From that moment on, these two lines of occurrence (number of cases/number of deaths) have been growing and changing the daily dynamics of the city. With the community circulation of the new coronavirus, the city hall enacted Municipal Decree No. 5,631, of March 23, 2020. This municipal law established a state of public calamity in the city, having been the first city in the Northeast in this condition, which allowed it to act without paying attention to regulatory obligations for access to public resources and spending (MOSSORÓ, 2020a)3. This situation was recognized by the National Secretariat for Civil Protection and Defense, of the Federal Government, in Ordinance No. 1029, of April 13, 2020.
In this context, Mossoró, which is the second largest urban agglomeration and largest municipality in territorial extension in the West Potiguar region, began to face Covid-19. The first initiative in relation to the pandemic was the preparation of the Contingency Plan (MOSSORÓ, 2020b)4. This plan is fundamental, as Mossoró is an important regional center. The city is located between two capitals in the Northeast, Natal (RN) and Fortaleza (CE), and has a direct influence on its surroundings – made up of eight municipalities that form its borders. Mossoró is also a regional educational center5, receiving students from all over the country. It presents a diversified economic dynamic, anchored in the exploration of salt, oil on land, a strong agricultural base in fruit growing, public services and the cultural industry that maintains a regular calendar of festivals and cultural events. Therefore, the city has the characteristic of receiving people from municipalities in Rio Grande Norte and Ceará, whether for study or work.
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Mossoró has around 302,800 inhabitants, showing growth compared to the 259,815 inhabitants of the last census. Its population is 91.31% urban and the demographic density is 123.76 inhabitants/km. However, its demographic density is greater and concentrated in its urban area, which is 11,583 km². Its population is predominantly young and/or adult, with 28.6% aged between 0 and 19 years old and 9.3% aged between 60 years old and over (IBGE, 2010)6.
Such characteristics are factors that could perhaps explain the fact that Mossoró is showing significant rates of expansion of Covid-19 in its territory, and, to date, recording more fatalities than the state capital, Natal7. The incidence of infected people is in urban areas, with no record in rural areas. The data, up to April 16, 2020, shows 84 infected people and seven fatal cases (RN, 2020)8. The incidence is 27.74 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants (FIOCRUZ-CIDACS; UFBA, 2020)9. The confirmed cases of Covid19 are concentrated in 14 neighborhoods in the city. These are populated areas with a predominance of middle social strata, but also with vulnerable population enclaves. These areas underwent a marked process of urban expansion with the displacement of traditional retail from central regions, which led to new occupational, housing and mobility dynamics in these neighborhoods. On the other hand, the incidence of Covid19 in the city's oldest, central and traditional neighborhoods is still low. And there is still no record of Covid19 in the most peripheral areas.
Percentage Distribution of Covid-19 Cases by neighborhood in the urban area of Mossoró-RN, 2020. Source: Government of RN- SESAP; Mossoró City Hall, Ministry of Health. Adapted from LAIS/UFRN, data from April 16, 2020.
Regarding health infrastructure, the municipality will not be able to respond to a growing demand for Covid19 cases. With 74.32% of its population having access only to the Unified Health System (SUS), Mossoró has 130 ICU beds (118 adults and 12 children), 153 mechanical ventilators and 50 mobile units (4 SAMU and 46 ambulances) with 3255 healthcare professionals.