Brazilian President

Brazil Health Minister Sacked Over Stay-At-Home Measure

April 17, 2020 8:38 am

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has sacked his health minister after clashing with him over how to fight the new coronavirus.

Few global leaders have done more than Bolsonaro to downplay the global pandemic, which has killed nearly 2,000 Brazilians.

He has called the virus “a little flu” and criticized state governors for imposing the shutdowns supported by health experts and the popular outgoing minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta.

In televised remarks met with pot-banging protests in major cities, Bolsonaro said Mandetta did not fully appreciate the need to protect Brazilian jobs and called again for a resumption of economic activity.

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Bolsonaro’s Disapproval Rating Rises Amid Virus Havoc

April 4, 2020 6:19 pm

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s disapproval rating has surged as the far-right leader has taken a vocal stance against coronavirus containment measures, two polls out Friday found.

Bolsonaro, who has compared COVID-19 to a “bit of sniffles” and criticized the “hysteria” around it, has found himself increasingly isolated on the issue as the pandemic advances.

Thirty-nine percent of Brazilians disapprove of his handling of the crisis, up six points from two weeks ago, polling firm Datafolha found.

That was similar to the result reported by polling firm XP Ip Espe, which found Bolsonaro’s disapproval rating hit its highest level since he …

Bolsonaro Bolsonaro Exempts Churches From Quarantine

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Exempts Churches From Quarantine

March 27, 2020 5:52 pm

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro decreed Thursday that places of worship are “essential services” that must be exempted from coronavirus confinement orders, the far-right leader’s latest jab at aggressive containment measures.

The decree, published in the government diary, adds “religious activities of any kind” to the list of exempted services, alongside supermarkets and pharmacies.

It adds that such activities must be carried out “in accordance with health ministry guidelines.”

Bolsonaro, who was elected in 2018 with the backing of Brazil’s burgeoning evangelical Christian community, has clashed with local authorities who have closed schools and businesses in places such as Sao Paulo …