Supporters of Bolsonaro have taken to revolting against stay-at-home policies and social isolation. These demonstrators also demanded that Congress and the Supreme Court shut down, weeks away from the peak of the pandemic.


The Bolsonaro Effect

Bolsonaro has been downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus, even calling it a "little flu." He attended various demonstrations of protests against lockdowns earlier this month.

Last month, Bolsonaro urged people to revive Brazil's economy by working again, blaming governors for implementing lockdowns and other preventive initiatives against his orders.


Families With High-Risk Individuals Convinced That Staying Home Will Kill Them Sooner

A recent survey done by Datafolha showed that 52 percent of Brazilians believed that everyone, regardless of health, must remain at home. At the beginning of the month, this was 60 percent. 

A 75-year-old business owner, Divina Baldomero, had been staying in her home for forty days at the orders of the local authorities as coronavirus containment measures.

"At first, I thought it was reasonable," Baldomero said in an interview with Fox, referring to the lockdown. She began thinking about the economic downturn and how her business may be forced to close down. "There must be a different way [to handle the virus], so we can be free of this."

More Brazilians were of like mind with regards to the lockdown: Most of them want it to end. A lot of others have already started going out again. A 51-year-old dentist called the stay-at-home orders a load of "buffoonery."

Lillie Santiago continued by saying that people at risk should take care. But that also meant these people must be able to circulate outside safely. She said, "We can't be locked inside an apartment or house. A lot of things kill more than coronavirus!"


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"Nobody Denied There Would Be Deaths"

Earlier this week, Bolsonaro was interviewed by journalists about how the deaths related to coronavirus in Brazil exceeded that of China. The president said, "So what?"

This statement incited outrage from people on social media. He said, "I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?"

In the same interview, he said that 70 percent of the nation's population might become infected with the disease if there was no intervention. He said this was the reality of the situation. He said, "Nobody ever denied that there would be deaths."

Time and again, Bolsonaro made it a point to bring back Brazil's employees to work to lift the economy from a recession. When asked if he would even ever contract the disease, he assured everyone that his days as an athlete would protect him.

In a report by the Ministry of Health released this Tuesday, it said that the death toll by COVID-19 in Brazil reached 5,017. In 24 hours, officials recorded 474 deaths in the country, more than Italy, France, and Spain.

At the time, China reported 4,643 deaths, and the media was outraged by how the nation exceeded the number so fast. Researchers in Hong Kong suspected China's true figures were four times greater at least.