EFEITOS DA REABERTURA DE FRONTEIRAS TERRESTRES NA EVOLUÇÃO ESPACIAL E TEMPORAL DA COVID-19 EM FOZ DO IGUAÇU, 2020-2021

The closure of the borders of Foz do Iguaçu (Paraná) was necessary to contain Covid-19, significantly impacting the municipality, which is dependent on commerce and tourism. Few studies have verified the spatio-temporal effect of this measure. This study analyzed the effect of the reopening of borders in Foz do Iguaçu on the spatio-temporal evolution of Covid-19, 2020-2021. Space was analyzed using the global Moran's index (I) and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA), and temporal analysis using the Joinpoint program. The results indicated non-significant spatial autocorrelation, which was negative before and after the reopening of the Paraguayan border (P1) and positive in the periods of reopening of the Argentine border (P2). After the reopening of the Brazil-Paraguay border, the incidence increased by 49.22%, with a weekly upward trend of 11.79% (CI 6.65-31.08). The reopening of the Brazil-Argentina border coincided with a reduction in incidence (4.76%) and an increasing trend of 2.07% (CI 1.01-8.48). It was concluded that the reopening of the borders influenced the incidence and trend of cases in Foz do Iguaçu, with the impact being mitigated in P2 due to stricter sanitary measures at the Argentine border crossing and partial population immunity resulting from vaccination.