BALNEABILIDADE NOS PERÍODOS PRÉ-PANDEMIA E PANDÊMICO DE COVID-19

Abstract

Canasvieiras Beach - Florianópolis/SC is very popular with tourists in high season. This work analyzed whether the decrease in the flow of tourists due to the pandemic impacted bathing conditions at the beach. Data on water quality conditions were analyzed in the pre-pandemic period (PPP) (11/01/2018 to 03/31/2019, 11/01/2019 to 03/31/2020) and pandemic period (PP) (30 /10/2020 to 03/31/2021 and 11/01/2021 to 12/31/2021) of COVID-19. Bathing data were retrieved from the database of the Instituto do Meio Ambiente de Santa Catarina (IMA) and rainfall data from the Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária e Extensão Rural de Santa Catarina (EPAGRI). Escherichia coli density (NMP/100ml) was compared between the two periods and a higher density was observed in PPP compared to PP (p < 0.0001). For the bathing condition, there was a higher frequency of inappropriate points in the PPP (14.66%) in relation to the PP (6.94%) and this difference was significant (p = 0.008). Rainfall index was excluded as a possible variable that could lead to these differences, since it was found that the volume of rainfall did not differ between the analyzed periods (p > 0.05). Based on the percentage calculations of the bathing condition, pie charts were generated for each of the 8 points sampled at Canasvieiras Beach, comparing the periods. Field visits characterized the points, especially regarding the presence of rainwater drainage towards the beach. It was observed that in the pandemic period there was a reduction in the density of E. coli on Canasvieiras beach. The decrease in tourists and, consequently, in the amount of domestic sewage generated that is irregularly connected to rainwater networks appears as an explanation for what was observed.