Brazil's most populous state Sao Paulo reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths for the second day running on Wednesday even as its metropolis allowed shops to resume business and prepared to reopen its malls.
More than two months after the coronavirus pandemic triggered worldwide lockdowns, much of the world is gradually reopening. But Latin America remains highly isolated by travel restrictions across the region.
Brazil, the hardest-hit Latin American country in the coronavirus pandemic, has surpassed 11,000 deaths, according to figures released on Sunday by the Ministry of Health.
Brazil’s Health Ministry said on Sunday the country’s death toll from COVID-19 has climbed to 486 as 11,130 people tested positive to the coronavirus disease. In the past 24 hours, 54 patients died, up 12.5% compared with the day before, and 852 new infections were detected, placing the mortality rate at 4.4%, said the authorities.
Brazilian supermarkets are planning to hire 5,000 temporary workers in Sao Paulo’s metropolitan region, the most severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak, to meet higher demand from consumers and replace employees under quarantine, according to the local association that represents the sector, Apas.
Brazil’s central bank on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to a record-low 3.75% to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic but signaled no rush to cut again and emphasized the need for more economic reforms.
Argentina's main stock exchange crashed by nearly 10% on Thursday as markets continued to panic over the coronavirus pandemic. The fall wasn't as bad as Monday's that reached almost 14% but it continued the week's general downward spiral across the region.
Brazil’s Health Ministry over the weekend confirmed the country’s second case of the fast-spreading new coronavirus, diagnosed in a 32-year-old patient in São Paulo who had recently visited Italy and arrived on Thursday.
Chinese demand is increasingly swallowing up Brazil's beef supply, pushing the country's cattle prices to a record high. China’s hunger for foreign meat has shot up as an outbreak of African swine fever has reduced its domestic pig population and has sent it looking for substitutes.
Brazil’s largest truck makers are expressing optimism again about the growth prospects for Latin America’s largest economy, even as the country continues to struggle to rebound from a deep recession that began in 2015.