Bolsonaro Changes Coronavirus Policy Under Pressure From Generals

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro gave in to political pressure. Brazil’s head of state has changed the tone in debating measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

In an official statement on Tuesday, he called the spread of the novel SARS CoV-2 coronavirus “the greatest challenge of our generation”. So far he has trivialized the Covid-19 disease caused by the virus as a “minor flu”.

He had also sharply criticized governors and mayors for their policies of restricting public life, calling them “real job killers” and “nutcases”.

Now Bolsonaro wants to cooperate with Congress and governors. In his speech, he called for a “national pact to fight the spread of the virus”.

On Wednesday he publicly apologized for the earlier fake news report that the food wholesale market in the metropolis of São Paulo was no longer operating due to the ban on contact and that supplies were therefore at risk.

Nevertheless, he stuck to his mantra and associated human lives with jobs: “Save lives without losing jobs,” he warned against the restrictions. For the sake of the economy, Bolsonaro advocates a ban on contact only for risk groups, i.e. the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.

However, experts and health authorities believe this is wrong in the current situation, as there are no reliable infection figures. Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta expects a significantly higher number of unreported cases of infections and deaths than the official figures.

In order to better estimate “the real extent of the epidemic and its spread”, the Minister will soon have 33,000 people screened repeatedly over six weeks.

Observers attribute the President’s willingness to cooperate with the authorities to his closest and perhaps last political allies, the military.

Alarmed by Bolsonaro’s belittlement tactics, they feared that the significantly increased public pressure could lead to an impeachment or the resignation of their protégé.

According to a survey, 64 percent of the population doubts the head of state’s ability to manage the crisis. Due to his political isolation, the head of state is at the end of his tether, insiders report that he has had recurring crying fits.

In return for their support, Bolsonaro has joined the military discourse. As early as March 24th, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Edson Leal Pujol, stated on a video message that the “threat” of the new coronavirus was the “greatest mission of our generation”.

In his speech on Tuesday, Bolsonaro used the same words. Concurrently, the military dominated the government discourse on the 56th anniversary of the military coup of March 31st, 1964, and the Ministry of Defense said in a public statement that the “1964 movement marked the beginning of Brazilian democracy”.

Brazil’s Vice President General Hamilton Mourão praised on Twitter that the armed forces had saved the country from chaos with their intervention.

Meanwhile, millions of people protested against the President in social isolation. At the same time as Bolsonaro was speaking on TV, the 15th pot banging protest was taking place, with people loudly banging on pots from their windows and balconies or honking in the streets.

According to national media, more people took part this time than ever before. Even in affluent neighborhoods like Leblon and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, the shouts of “Out with Bolsonaro” and “Murderer” could be heard.