President Jair Bolsonaro condemned quarantine and scoffed at the 'little flu,' then trumpeted the fatalistic claim that nothing could stop 70 percent of Brazilians from falling ill. The story of the new coronavirus in Brazil is the story of a president who insists the pandemic is no big deal. Jair Bolsonaro condemned the idea of coronavirus quarantine, saying shutdowns would wreck the economy and punish the poor. What do you want me to do?”Those words crystallized how many came to view Brazil’s pandemic response. Bolsonaro could have inspired people to hunker down, too, but instead he encouraged them to flout local restrictions — restrictions that he himself undermined by going out and drawing crowds.

Source: The Standard December 16, 2020 05:48 UTC