MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Bolsonaro urges followers in the streets to keep the Brazilian economy going
“Brazil cannot stop or we'll turn into Venezuela,” Bolsonaro later told reporters outside his official residence. 
On Saturday, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta highlighted the importance of containment as a means of fighting the coronavirus Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday flouted his government's social distancing guidelines against the spread of the coronavirus by mixing with supporters on the streets of Brasilia and urging them to keep the economy going.
“What I have been hearing from people is that they want to work,” the president told a street vendor in one of several videos posted on his Twitter account.
“What I have said from the beginning is that 'we are going to be careful, the over-65s stay at home,'” he said.
“We just can't stand still, there is fear because if you don't die of the disease, you starve,” the vendor is seen telling Bolsonaro, who responds: “You're not going to die!”
In another video, the president calls for a “return to normality,” questioning quarantine measures imposed by governors and some mayors across the giant country as an effective containment measure against the virus.
“If it continues like this, with the amount of unemployment what we will have later is a very serious problem that will take years to be resolved,” he said of the isolation measures.
“Brazil cannot stop or we'll turn into Venezuela,” Bolsonaro later told reporters outside his official residence.
On Saturday, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta highlighted the importance of containment as a means of fighting the coronavirus, which has already infected 3,904 people in Brazil, leaving 114 dead, according to the latest official figures.
“Some people want me to shut up, follow the protocols,” said Bolsonaro. “How many times does the doctor not follow the protocol? ”Let's face the virus with reality. It is life, we must all die one day.”
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules-
-
-
Read all commentsPG
Mar 30th, 2020 - 07:01 pm +1From the tone of previous posts of yours, it's not surprising you are advancing economic reasons not to “stop the economy.” You are being consistent.
If this coronavirus health crisis has shown anything, it's the greed of those who stand to lose the most in economic terms -- those are the ones usually making the most. Those are the ones advocating for the end of isolation and lobbying heads of government to do just that. Some of those characters have openly advocated for the sacrifice of the elderly and the immunocompromised in order to “save the economy.”
Probably the most blatant example of Bolsonaro-like blindness is US president Donald Trump:
“Our country was not built to be shut down,” he said on March 23, against the advise of health experts. “We are going to be opening up our country for business because our country was meant to be open.”
This guy must be locked up for the good of Brazil.
Mar 30th, 2020 - 08:06 am 0Enrique, you have to understand that not all nations are equal.
Mar 30th, 2020 - 03:52 pm 0There are poor countries that cannot stop their economy without irremediably harming their poorest citizens and pushing them into hunger. That is why Bolsonaro and MLO have the position that Brazil and Mexico must continue working.
There are rich countries that enjoy the “luxury” of stopping their economy for one or two months. Countries like German, France, Italy, Canada or Argentina (that had fewer poor people than Germany in 2015 and has a very strong and succesfull economy)......
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!