Bolsonaro Favors Gradual Resumption of Business Activities in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro said yesterday, April 16th, during his weekly Facebook live stream, that the Ministry of Health’s new guideline will be for a gradual resumption of trade and an end to social isolation in the country, but that the decision lies with the governors and mayors.

“It will not happen overnight, it will not be a sudden shift, but we understand that, gradually, with great responsibility, Brazil must start working. Now, the decision will be much more up to the governors and mayors, because that was the Federal Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling yesterday, if I’m not mistaken,” said the President.

In the ruling he mentioned, the Supreme Court unanimously determined that states and municipalities are free to implement the measures they deem necessary to fight the novel coronavirus, such as social isolation, trade closure, and other restrictions.

Sitting alongside the newly appointed Minister of Health, Nelson Teich, during a live broadcast, Bolsonaro once again argued that a “rigid” quarantine could cause irreversible economic damage.

“We know that the side effect of a very strict quarantine, leading to the humblest of people losing their jobs, or their livelihoods, in the case of casual labor, could cause very serious problems for Brazil, to the point that the economy will no longer recover”.

New appointee Nelson Teich stressed that the portfolio will be focused on mapping the progress of the disease in the country. “Now we need to focus heavily on collecting data on the prevalence of this disease, whether on those infected, those who [have] been cured and those who have died. Once these data are combined, it will be much easier for us to understand what’s going on and to design policies and actions,” he said.

One of the new Minister’s goals is precisely to set up a program for mass testing of the population.

Nelson Teich, who is an oncologist, is taking over from orthopedist Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who spent 16 months at the head of the portfolio.

Source: Agência Brasil