Reuters: As Bolsonaro flouts warnings, coronavirus spreads in Brazil

[Mike 03]

MARCH 24, 2020 / 3:22 AM / UPDATED A DAY AGO

(It's uncanny, the similarities between Trump and Bolsonaro, which are described in this article. 22 members of Bolsonaro's inner circle have tested positive for COVID-19)

Excerpt

Sixty-five-year-old Bolsonaro, who tested negative, for weeks has described the coronavirus as “a little flu.” He recently asked Congress to declare a state of emergency to free up more funding. Still, he has resisted calling for Brazilians to stay at home and for businesses to close because of his concerns about harming the economy. And he has berated Brazilian governors and mayors who have taken such steps, even as some members of his inner circle have fallen ill.

Bolsonaro, his son Eduardo, security adviser Heleno and two other ministers dined with Trump on Saturday March 7, as cases were rising sharply in the United States. They huddled with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to take photos. One showed the U.S. president holding a cap that said “Make Brazil Great Again.”

The larger group of Brazilians attended meetings the following two days with investors, business people and public officials, including Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who announced March 13 that he had tested positive for coronavirus.

“We caught it on that trip to Miami, in close contact with one another on the same planes, shuttle buses and hotel meeting rooms,” said Brazilian Congressman Daniel Freitas, 37, who tested positive on his return. He is now in quarantine in his Brasília apartment.

Brazilian doctors have not established a definitive transmission chain and cannot say for certain whether the group was infected in the United States.

Fabio Wajngarten, Bolsonaro’s communications secretary, tested positive for coronavirus on March 12, two days after arriving home from Florida. Testing then commenced for other members of the delegation. Bolsonaro and Heleno were among those who continued to circulate in public while awaiting their results, much to the dismay of Brazil’s medical community.

“It is behavior like an ostrich that sticks its head in the sand,” said epidemiologist José Cássio de Moraes, a member of ABRASCO, Brazil’s largest association of public health experts, doctors and researchers. “It’s not acceptable in any form.”

snip

State governors and mayors, meanwhile, have taken the lead in closing public venues and asking Brazilians to stay home. Many private-sector companies have directed employees to work remotely.

Bolsonaro has criticized such measures as “extreme.” He has called on Brazilians to fight the disease without bringing the economy to a halt. He recently shook hands with a throng of supporters and leaned into the crowd for selfies. He said in a Friday television interview that churches should keep holding services. Bolsonaro rose to power with massive support from evangelical Christians due to his conservative social agenda.

Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta has warned that Brazil’s healthcare system could collapse next month under a surge of patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, if Brazilians do not adopt rigorous social distancing. Last week he compared Bolsonaro’s mingling with crowds to a smoker ignoring tobacco warnings.

snip

Bolsonaro’s approval ratings have taken a beating. A survey published Monday by the Datafolha polling firm showed that just 34% of Brazilians polled thought the president’s job performance was “great” or “good.” That’s the lowest level since he took office last year.

In recent days, residents of São Paulo, Rio and Brasília have taken to banging on pot and pans at their windows and balconies, shouting “Bolsonaro Out!”

Bolsonaro has brushed off the protests. “This is not the time for political disputes ... to blame me for everything that happens,” he told reporters on Friday. “I am not worried about the pots and pans. I am worried about coronavirus.”

Fascinating article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil-bolsonaro-i/as-bolsonaro-flouts-warnings-coronavirus-spreads-in-brazil-idUSKBN21B1AX

[Takket]

1. people get what they vote for.........

[pat_k]

2. "Bolsonaro's approval ratings have taken a beating."

The Brazilian public is apparently less easily deceived than the American public. Here, DT approval is reportedly up. Makes me feel nauseous.

[Mike 03]

3. The exact same thing occurred to me too.

I almost did a separate thread on that, but it's too depressing.

Bolsonaro's approval is 34%. Good for the Brazilians, and shame on us.

[LastDemocratInSC]

4. "Conservatism" (which it isn't) equals Absolute nihilism (which it is)

[Eugene]

5. Virus has Brazil's Bolsonaro facing governor 'insurrection'

Source: Associated Press

Virus has Brazil’s Bolsonaro facing governor ‘insurrection’

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and DAVID BILLER
March 25, 2020

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s governors on Wednesday rebelled against President Jair Bolsonaro’s call for life to return to pre-coronavirus normalcy, saying his proposal to reopen schools and businesses runs counter to recommendations from health experts and endangers Latin America’s largest population.

State governors, many of whom have adopted strict measures to limit gatherings in their regions, defied the president’s instructions in a nationwide address Tuesday evening that they lift the restrictions and limit isolation only to the elderly and those with longstanding health problems.

The governors weren’t the only defiant ones. Virus plans challenged by Bolsonaro were upheld by the Supreme Court. The heads of both congressional houses criticized his televised speech. Companies donated supplies to state anti-virus efforts. And even some of his staunch supporters joined his detractors.

In a videoconference Wednesday between Bolsonaro and governors from Brazil’s southeast region, Sao Paulo Gov. João Doria threatened to sue the federal government if it attempted to interfere with his efforts to combat the virus, according to video of their private meeting reviewed by The Associated Press.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/debf6dd6998152447621e65cca110351

[sfstaxprep]

6. No Chance Of Rebellion Here

The Repub Cult Members will go along with whatever their dear "leader" tells them.