Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is seen at the Alvorada Palace, in the midst of the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Brasilia, Brazil, on July 18, 2020.REUTERS / Adriano Machado
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that the blocking measures used to curb the spread of the new coronavirus “kill” and have “stifled” the country’s economy.
“Without wages and jobs, people die,” he said, referring to restrictions imposed by some states and municipalities. “The closure kills,” he added, saying that some politicians have suffocated the economy with forced curfews.
The president’s statement comes as Brazil’s economy is expected to contract 6.4% this year, affected by the pandemic.
Bolsonaro, who announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on July 7, met with his supporters on the grounds of his official residence, Palacio Alvorada, in Brasilia.
The President wore a mask and stood a few meters (yards) away from his followers.
Bolsonaro said he feels good, despite the virus, and again credited his health for using hydroxychloroquine to fight COVID-19, despite no scientific evidence. “I am living proof (that the drug works),” he told his followers.
In addition to hydroxychloroquine, the far-right president said he is also taking an antiparasitic drug to fight the coronavirus.
Brazil registered 28,532 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and 921 new deaths on Saturday, the health ministry said. Total cases in Brazil, the second most affected country in the world after the United States, has now increased to 2,074,860, while deaths totaled 78,772.
Reports by Carolina Mandl, in Sao Paulo, and Leonardo Benassatto, in Brasilia; Edition by Cynthia Osterman
.
