Rio de Janeiro debates outdoor work ban amid extreme heat

The Rio de Janeiro City Council is revisiting legislation (PL 160-A/2025) that would prohibit outdoor work for public agents and outsourced municipal workers during periods of extreme heat. Under the proposal, extreme heat is defined as temperatures exceeding 40°C for at least three consecutive days or when solar radiation poses a health risk. If passed, the ban would require official meteorological or Civil Defense alerts and would mandate the temporary relocation of activities to indoor environments where possible, without salary deductions for affected workers.

Separately, fact-checkers have identified a viral image circulating on social media as AI-generated misinformation. The image, which claims to show the chaos caused by high winds in Ipanema, was created using OpenAI tools. The fake image contains visual inconsistencies, such as a man appearing to have three legs. While the image is false, real severe weather in late July caused five deaths across Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with winds exceeding 100 km/h causing power outages and transport disruptions.