Even as coronavirus cases mount, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is calling the pandemic a momentary, minor problem and says strong measures to contain it are unnecessary.
Bolsonaro says his response to the disease matches that of President Donald Trump in the US, but the Brazilian leader has gone further, labeling the virus as "a little flu" and saying state governors' aggressive measures to halt the disease are crimes.
On Thursday, Bolsonaro told reporters in the capital Brasilia that he feels Brazilians' natural immunity will protect the nation.
"The Brazilian needs to be studied. He doesn't catch anything. You see a guy jumping into sewage, diving in, right? Nothing happens to him. I think a lot of people were already infected in Brazil, weeks or months ago, and they already have the antibodies that help it not proliferate," Bolsonaro said. "I'm hopeful that's really a reality."
A video titled "Brazil Cannot Stop" that circulated on social media drew a rebuke from Monica de Bolle, a Brazilian senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
"Do you know what will happen, Bolsonaro? Brazil WILL stop. Your irresponsibility will bring thousands to avoidable deaths," she tweeted on Friday. "The destroyed lungs of these people, as well as the organs of those who won't be able to have medical care, will fall on your lap. And Brazil will not spare you."
Bolsonaro, 65, shows no sign of wavering even as the nation's tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases approach 4000, deaths top 100 and Brazilians overwhelmingly demand tough anti-virus measures.
The governors of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the states hardest hit by the virus, have banned public gatherings, closed schools and businesses and called for strict social distancing.
Both are Bolsonaro critics and possible contenders in the 2022 presidential race. They also have backup: 25 of Brazil's 27 governors signed a joint letter this week begging Bolsonaro to back strict anti-virus measures.
Bolsonaro, a Trump devotee, said he has watched his US counterpart speak about the virus in recent days and found their perspectives rather aligned.
Like Trump, he has sought to ease anxiety by often touting the yet-unproven benefits of chloroquine in combating the virus. On Thursday, he eliminated tariffs for the anti-malaria drug.
Local media have counted some two dozen people who tested positive for COVID-19 after travelling with Bolsonaro this month to the US. That includes his national security adviser, who this week returned to work at the presidential palace.
Bolsonaro says his two tests for the virus came back negative, but he has refused to publish his results.
Australian Associated Press
