by FLAVIA BELLIENI ZIMMERMANN
With coronavirus infections steeply rising, Brazil is now the second placed country in the world with the highest number of cases, only lagging behind the US. Today, Brazil is Latin America’s virus hotspot, with cases exceeding 900,000 and with a death toll over 45,000 – by far the highest in all Latin America, is the world’s second-highest after only the US.
Brazil’s out of control pandemic, which will peak in the next couple of weeks, raises concerns for the safety of Brazilians; and for regional and international future security.
Since the beginning of the global pandemic, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro downplayed the threat posed by the virus, declaring it was “a minor cold” and stating that he was not concerned about contracting the virus because of his “athletic physique.” He accused his political foes and the press for “tricking citizens” about the threats posed by the coronavirus.
Amid an uncontrolled pandemic and within a month, Bolsonaro has presided over administrative chaos, sacking two health ministers over diverging views on social distancing measures, and endorsing the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients. There is no assured medical evidence that this drug can prevent infections or heal coronavirus patients. The shoddy replacement and acting health minister Eduardo Pazuello is a former general with no medical training. It is he who is overseeing guidelines prescribing hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms.
In many ways, Bolsonaro’s coronavirus response is similar to the one by his US far-right populist counterpart, Donald Trump. His ideological agenda, however, might prove to be even more devastating to Brazil’s democratic institutions and minority groups. By giving the global pandemic an ideological spin, the incumbent administration compromised Brazil’s response to the crisis, creating widespread political and institutional chaos. A point neglected in this tragedy is the matter of Brazil’s indigenous peoples during this crisis.
Indigenous Communities Under Threat
Brazzil for more