Bolsonaro’s coronavirus response: A threat to Brazil’s economy | Counting the Cost

The coronavirus pandemic has not spared a single nation or economy, but the way some governments have handled the crisis has raised eyebrows.

Brazil’s right-wing populist leader Jair Bolsonaro has been dismissive about the health crisis and implored people to ignore state governors who had ordered lockdowns and social distancing measures.

The result: Brazil has the third-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, behind the United States and Russia. A study by Imperial College suggest that 70,000 to one million Brazilians could die depending on measures taken to halt the progress of the pandemic.

Brazil’s healthcare system has been decimated since 2017; its expenditure on its national health service has been slashed by $4.4bn – or slightly less than a third of its current budget. And in some regions, it is close to collapse from the sheer number of COVID-19 patients.

Despite a stimulus package, the economy is expected to contract 4.7 percent this year – the biggest fall since 1900. The situation is so bad that President Donald Trump is considering banning Brazilians from travelling to the US.

Bolsonaro has been criticised at home and abroad, so how much damage will this do to the economy and its 209 million people? We speak to Jimena Blanco, the Head of Americas Risk Insights at Verisk Maplecroft.

No longer recession-proof
Millions of jobs have been lost due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the saying that the virus does not discriminate, it is having an unequal and devastating effect on low-income workers, immigrants and women.

But an altogether startling situation, despite the pandemic, is that medical personal are losing their jobs, as Al Jazeera’s Shihab Ritansi reports.

We also speak to Sho Alexander Sugihara, the co-founder and chief executive of gig-economy finance app Portify, who explains what has gone wrong in the jobs market.

Germany’s big bazooka to save the euro
Europe’s biggest economy is back in recession, a little over a decade since the last financial crisis.

But trouble was brewing for Germany before the pandemic – and like everywhere else, worse is yet to come.

The government has pledged one trillion euros to support the economy. But it is Chancellor Angela Merkel’s radical 500 billion euro plan to help fellow European nations that could face opposition and push the union towards another crisis.

Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane reports and we speak to Claus Vistesen, chief eurozone economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

– Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe
– Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
– Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
– Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/


In This Story: Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in both South America and Latin America.

Its capital is Brasília, and its most populous city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states and the Federal District. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas, as well as the most populous Roman Catholic-majority country.

Its Amazon basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. Brazil is classified as an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank and a newly industrialized country.

2 Recent Items: Brazil

Chinese fm wang yi meets with celso amorim, advisor to brazilian president 1

Chinese FM Wang Yi meets with Celso Amorim, advisor to Brazilian president

Call from the Amazon: World needs to rethink the concept of ‘economy’

In This Story: COVID-19

Covid-19 is the official WHO name given to the novel coronavirus which broke out in late 2019 and began to spread in the early months of 2020.

Symptoms of coronavirus

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

  • a persistent new cough (non productive, dry)
  • a high temperature (e.g. head feels warm to the touch)
  • shortness of breath (if this is abnormal for the individual, or increased)

Latest News about Covid-19

Below are stories from around the globe related to the 2020 outbreak of novel Coronavirus – since the WHO gave the Covid-19 naming. Most recent items are posted nearest the top.

5 Recent Items: COVID-19

Global National: Jan. 19, 2024 | Health data shows influenza, COVID-19 cases decreasing in Canada

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500 hit record highs as tech stocks soar | January 19, 2024

Stock market today: Stocks climb with techs ready to roar | January 19, 2023

Dr Anthony Fauci ‘became part of the problem’ when it came to the spread of Covid misinformation

WEF summit: Canada warns of future supply shocks amid global instability

In This Story: Donald Trump

Donald John Trump was the 45th President of the United States. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality. Trump was born and raised in Queens, a borough of New York City, and received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School.

5 Recent Items: Donald Trump

‘DISRESPECTFUL’: Tim Scott takes heat for endorsing Trump

Are those most opposed to Trump aiding his election?

Trump claims he prevented ‘nuclear holocaust’ in released deposition tapes

Donald Trump endorsed by Tim Scott amid speculation he could be election running mate

Is Tim Scott in the running to be Trump’s VP pick?

In This Story: Germany

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe. It lies between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south.

Germany is a federal parliamentary republic led by a chancellor. With over 83 million inhabitants of its 16 constituent states, it is the second-most populous country in Europe after Russia, as well as the most populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Berlin, and its financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr.

5 Recent Items: Germany

Thousands in Hamburg rally against far-right ‘master plan’ | DW News

Beauty Blogger Murdered Look-alike She Found on Instagram to Fake Her Own Death: Prosecutor

Why is Germany supporting Israel at the ICJ? | The Take

Masters of the Air – Exclusive Behind the Scenes Clip (2024) Austin Butler, Tom Hanks

“We are talking too much about Donald #trump in #europe ” #politics #davos #shorts

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.