Amid Brazil’s decision to re-open non-essential businesses in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the risks of lifting lockdown restrictions too soon. WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said that decisions to lift restrictions should be guided by evidence that transmission rates are receding.
However, Brazil now has over 600,000 COVID-19 cases, behind only the US, and more than 34,000 deaths, behind only the US and the UK. Keeping these figures in mind, Harris said, “The epidemic, the outbreak, in Latin America is deeply, deeply concerning.” Moreover, the transmission rate is only rising, and experts fear that the true case count and death toll could be between twelve and fifteen times higher than what is being reported due to a lack of testing and data manipulation.
Mimicking US President Donald Trump once again, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro threatened to withdraw from the WHO, calling it a “partisan political organization”. This somewhat echoes Trump’s criticisms of the organization, who in April called it “china-Centric”, lambasted its slow response to the coronavirus crisis, and withdrew funding until a review is conducted into the institution’s handling of the virus outbreak.
In the past, Bolsonaro has called the coronavirus a “little flu”, asked “so what?” when reporters confronted him about the rising death toll, and endorsed an unproven antiviral drug, chloroquine phosphate, which can have dire health consequences, including death. He has also gone against the advice of medical experts, and said that the economy must be re-opened, even at the cost of further spread of the disease, much like Trump. Furthermore, he has called governors and mayors who disagree with him “criminals” and fired his health minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta due to disagreements over the need for social distancing. Bolsonaro contends that only at-risk individuals, such as the elderly and those with pre-existing health problems, should be quarantined, while the rest should be “put to work”. Mandetta’s replacement, Nelson Teich, resigned within a month of Mandetta’s dismissal, citing an “incompatibility” with Bolsonaro’s approach to combatting the coronavirus outbreak that has made Brazil a new epicenter for the virus.
Brazil Coronavirus Coverage:
- Bolsonaro Mimics Trump, Calls Coronavirus Anxiety 'Hysteria', Then Demands Emergency Funds
- Brazilian Mayors and Governors Defy President, Implement COVID-19 Lockdowns
- Bolsonaro Continues Offensive Against Quarantines, Warns Against Additional Measures
- Brazil’s Health Minister Clings Onto Job Despite Disagreeing With President Bolsonaro
- Brazilian Supreme Court Orders Investigation Into Political Interference by Bolsonaro
- Brazilian President Leads Yet Another Anti-Lockdown Protest
- Brazil Emerges as New Epicenter for COVID-19
- Brazilian Health Minister Resigns Less Than One Month After Predecessor Was Sacked
- Brazilian President Urges Supreme Court to End Political Interference Investigation
- Bolsonaro Decries Supreme Court Investigation Into Him, Compares It to Hitler’s Germany
Trump, too, has called the coronavirus no more dangerous than the common flu during the early days of the outbreak. He has also extolled the potential benefits of chloroquine during a televised briefing. Owing to his unfounded medical advice, an Arizona man died after taking it. His wife, too, fell extremely ill. It was revealed that they had not bought the pharmaceutical version of chloroquine phosphate; rather, they ingested an additive used to kill parasites in fish tanks and treat fish diseases. He has also disagreed with top public health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, insisting that schools and the economy must be re-opened as soon as possible.
In response to mounting criticism, Brazil’s government stopped publishing data on coronavirus deaths and infections. While the statistics were already being criticized for being manipulated to mask an even more desolate situation, the removal of such figures altogether is highly disingenuous. The Federal Health Ministry’s website now only shows the numbers from the previous 24 hours.
Bolsonaro is under investigation by the Supreme Court for political interference in the police force. He has led multiple anti-lockdown protests and demonstrations against the Supreme Court and the Congress outside of the Presidential Palace, where supporters have called for a return to a military dictatorship.
Conversely, protests against Bolsonaro have been met with swift action and police brutality, with Bolsonaro vowing to defeat the “antifas” and the “terrorists”, just as Trump has done amid unrest in the US. He has established firm control over the police and empowered them to silence and intimidate both civil society and political opponents.
In late May, federal police raided the residence of Rio de Janeiro governor Wilson Witzel in a supposed COVID-19 corruption probe. Witzel said he was innocent of allegations of misuse of public funds, and while no arrests were made, he accused Bolsonaro of “interference”. Witzel is a former ally of Bolsonaro. However, during the ongoing pandemic, the two have shifted further apart as he opposes the President’s approach to the pandemic.
With growing international criticism, domestic unrest, and concerns surrounding the legitimacy of his presidency, it remains to be seen how Bolsonaro will emerge from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. What is certain, however, is that there will be far fewer citizens left to tell the tale of this disastrous episode in Brazilian history.