The U.S is considering restricting travel from Brazil because the country’s outbreak of the novel coronavirus worsens and threatens to form it the new epicenter of the pandemic.
But whilst the Trump administration considers such strong steps, it continues to tout its ties to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who critics say is that the reason the caseload in Latin America’s largest country has exponentially risen. The right-wing populist president who President Donald Trump consistently calls a “good friend” has dismissed the coronavirus as a “little flu,” urged Brazilians to stay getting to work, and fired his health minister for arguing together with his push to reopen the economy.
With 5,466 killed by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, Brazil’s price has now surpassed that of China, where cases first exploded. it’s the second highest number of cases within the occident , behind only the U.S., although its total is probably going much higher given a shortage of testing.
Asked that climbing price on Tuesday, Bolsonaro shrugged and responded, “So what? I’m sorry. What does one want me to do? My name’s Messiah, but i can not work miracles,” a regard to his name Messias.
In a country of 211 million people, some scientists have estimated that over 1 million could also be infected already, consistent with the Associated Press. Aerial images of mass graves have sparked deep concern, with anger against Bolsonaro and even involves his impeachment growing and evident in panelaços — protests of banging pots and pans.
Nearly all of Brazil’s governors have pushed back and enacted stay-at-home orders. But Bolsonaro has actively undermined those efforts, even leading a protest rally near army headquarters within the capital Brasilia just last week. In Brazil’s fiercely divisive politics, his anti-quarantine push has also rallied supporters, especially as states’ lock-down measures put people out of labor and leave them hungry.
“At times like this, it’s crucial to possess a transparent orientation, but unfortunately, we’ve witnessed the diffusion of contradictory guidelines that hinder compliance with the required measures,” said Ana de Lemos, executive of Doctors borderless Brazil.
Hospital systems in Rio de Janeiro and 4 other major cities are already overwhelmed with patients and nearing failure, medical officials told the Associated Press. Rio de Janeiro state has nearly 9,000 cases with almost 800 deaths already, but the toughest hit state has been São Palo, home to South America’s largest city, where there are over 26,000 cases and a couple of ,200 deaths, consistent with Brazil’s Health Ministry.
Many of Brazil’s cities, particularly Rio and Sao Paulo , are tightly packed, with millions living in poor slums referred to as favelas — making social distancing about impossible and threatening to whip COVID-19 through communities during a flash. For states within the northwest that border Venezuela, their health systems also are already stretched thin by the many thousands of migrants fleeing the political and depression under President Nicolás Maduro there.
While Bolsonaro has been blamed for the deteriorating crisis, Trump appeared to downplay his responsibility, saying, “Brazil went a special way than other countries in South America. If you check out the chart, you will see what happened, unfortunately, to Brazil.”
Other U.S. officials haven’t criticized Bolsonaro’s response either. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo singled the country out for praise Wednesday for expelling some Cuban doctors in recent years that are deployed by the communist Cuban government as laborers and diplomatic capital, but which Pompeo called “human trafficking.”
There was also no hint of criticism during a call between Pompeo and his Brazilian counterpart Ernesto Araújo Wednesday, consistent with the U.S. readout. Instead, the 2 men “discussed the importance of a coordinated response to combat the COVID-19 pandemic,” consistent with the department, also as “ways to accentuate the economic and security partnerships between our two countries.”
A senior State Department official declined to deal with a reporter’s question on Bolsonaro’s handling of the virus during an appointment Tuesday. Instead, Deputy Assistant Secretary for occident Affairs Jon Piechowski said the U.S. is “in touch” with Brazilian leadership “on a day to day ,” but isn’t yet providing any assistance with medical supplies or other resources.
One new step into account , however, is implementing restrictions on travel from Brazil to the U.S., consistent with Trump, like those still in situ for China and 28 European countries.
“We’re watching it very closely,” he told reporters at the White House Tuesday during a gathering with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who first raised the difficulty and whose state sees tons of international travel through the Miami Airport hub. Trump asked DeSantis to let him know whether he should restrict travel, which the Republican governor promised to try to to .
Short of a travel ban, Trump said his administration is additionally considering requiring airlines to require passengers’ temperatures or test them for the coronavirus before boarding.
Trump himself faced exposure to COVID-19 from Brazil. During a visit on March 7, Trump hosted Bolsonaro and a visiting Brazilian delegation for dinner, and days later, one among Bolsonaro’s top aides, press secretary Fabio Wajngarten who was photographed next to Trump wearing a “Make Brazil Great Again” hat, tested positive for the virus. Both Bolsonaro and Trump later tested negative.
