Women are taking their rightful place in Rio's "Carnival of the streets" — the "bate-bolas," translated literally, as ball beaters.

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes announced weeks ago that the raucous street parties, which draw hundreds of thousands of revelers, wouldn't proceed in the manner they did before the pandemic.

The postponement will cause financial hardship for people who depend on the celebration — but "financial loss doesn't justify human loss," says one musician. Brazil has been hit hard by the virus.