Brazil, a nation wracked by three crises
The coronavirus pandemic and President Jair Bolsonaro's management of it have completely transformed the Brazilian political scenario. The protest virus has spread as fast or faster than the pathogen that has killed more than 44,000 people in the country. Demonstrations confronting the supporters and detractors of ultra-right-wing Jair Bolsonaro have conquered much of the nation, as the reopening begins in some of the main Brazilian states such as Sao Paulo, Ceará, Amazonas and Pará, four of the most affected by this health crisis.
The president of the country most hit by this disease in Latin America has been surrounded in recent months by various controversies and accusations. The constant changes in the distribution of data and the lack of transparency have led the Brazilian president to create the Ministry of Communication, his own entity to disseminate government information. The Brazilian leader positioned himself from the beginning against the measures of social isolation, under the theory that "hysteria" was damaging the economy.
In Brazil, as in other nations such as the United States, the pandemic has acquired a political dimension. The scepticism that has characterized Bolsonaro - criticized for comparing this disease to a "simple cold" - has created the perfect scenario for the emergence of protests throughout the country; demonstrations that, on some occasions, have ended up turning into violent riots. The most serious incidents have occurred in the heart of Sao Paulo, where in early June thousands of citizens called for the closure of Parliament and the Supreme Court.
The Latin American nation skipped the quarantine imposed by the current health crisis and took to the streets to demonstrate, largely failing to comply with safety guidelines set by national and international health authorities. The Brazilian president was one of the first to break these restrictions by ignoring the seriousness of COVID-19 and attending a demonstration on horseback in front of thousands of people and without wearing a mask.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil is the new focus of the pandemic in Latin America. The health sector has been one of the hardest hit by this health crisis in the South American nation, as shown by an investigation requested by the country's attorney general, Augusto Aras, on the violent incursions in hospitals, as well as on the aggressions against health professionals. This investigation has been launched after Bolsonaro urged the population to enter the hospital and record images to show whether or not the beds are being used. Aras believes that these behaviours "endanger" the physical integrity of the professionals who are fighting to reverse this health crisis. Brazil is currently suffering from a crisis of legitimacy, exacerbated by the economic crisis, as well as a pandemic that has infected more than 868,000 people and caused the death of at least another 44,000.
