President Bolsonaro tells Brazilians to stop 'whining' about Covid

President Bolsonaro tells Brazilians to stop ‘whining and crying’ about Covid and move on

  • Bolsonaro told people to stop ‘whining and crying’ about the Covid-19 pandemic 
  • He has openly criticised social distancing measures and downplayed the virus 
  • It comes as the country recorded a further 1,353 coronavirus deaths yesterday 

President Jair Bolsonaro told Brazilians to stop ‘whining and crying’ about coronavirus and move on after the country had two straight days of record deaths from the virus. 

The Brazilian leader has openly attacked social distancing measures and downplayed the gravity of the pandemic, despite Brazil having the world’s second-highest death toll over the past year, after the United States. 

While the U.S. outbreak is ebbing, Brazil is facing its worst phase of the epidemic yet, pushing its hospital system to the brink of collapse.

‘Enough fussing and whining. How much longer will the crying go on?’ Bolsonaro told a crowd at an event. 

Brazilian leader President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured) told people to stop ‘whining and crying’ about Covid following record death figures

 

Brazil has the world’s second-highest death toll over the past year, after the United States. Yesterday a further 1,353 deaths were recorded. Pictured: Workers bury a Covid-19 victim at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida Cemetery in Manaus

‘How much longer will you stay at home and close everything? No one can stand it anymore. We regret the deaths, again, but we need a solution.’

Yesterday’s figures revealed the country had 57,610 confirmed cases of coronavirus and recorded 1,353 deaths.

Brazil’s surging second wave has triggered new restrictions in its capital, Brasilia, and its largest city, Sao Paulo. 

Tourist mecca Rio de Janeiro on Thursday announced a city-wide curfew and early closing time for restaurants.

Particularly worrying to health authorities is the emergence of a new coronavirus variant from the Amazon region that appears more contagious and more able to reinfect those who previously had COVID-19.

‘We are experiencing the worst outlook for the pandemic since it started,’ said Gonzalo Vecina Neto, a medical doctor and former head of Brazilian health regulator Anvisa.

‘Mutations are the result of the increased reproduction of the virus. The greater the number of viruses, the faster the transmission, the more mutations we have,’ he said.

State governors and doctors have complained that the federal government has mismanaged the coronavirus crisis, as Bolsonaro has downplayed its severity and opposed lockdowns. 

Bolsonaro (pictured) has attacked social distancing measures and downplayed the gravity of the pandemic

The government’s delay in acquiring and distributing vaccines means that less than 3.5% of the population have had at least one shot.

Nevertheless, Bolsonaro’s popularity has been supported by 322 billion reais ($57.7 billion) in emergency aid payments to poorer Brazilians last year.

The Senate voted on Thursday to renew the aid program at a smaller scale, handing out 250 reais per month for four months, at a cost of up to 44 billion reais. 

The proposal must still be approved by Brazil’s lower house of Congress.

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