While the planet is taking measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus, Jair Bolsonaro announced on Tuesday March 24 that it will reject containment so as not to ruin Brazil. The country already has 46 deaths from COVID-19 and more than 2,000 people infected.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denounced Tuesday March 24 the containment measures taken by different states and municipalities in his country to fight against the coronavirus. He compares these measures to a "scorched earth" policy that threatens to ruin the first economy in Latin America. However, COVID-19 has already killed 46 people in Brazil and 2,201 people are infected. "The virus has arrived in Brazil, we are fighting it and it will be over soon. Our life must continue. Jobs must be maintained. Families must continue to live. Yes, we must return to normal," he said. he declares.

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"The authorities of certain states and municipalities must give up the concept of scorched earth: the prohibition of transport, the closing of shops and massive confinement," Bolsonaro said in a speech broadcast on radio and television.

"Why close the schools?"

"We must maintain jobs and preserve the supply of families," he added. Jair Bolsonaro downplayed the risks associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, which has already killed more than 18,000 people worldwide and forced a third of humanity to adhere to strict containment measures.

"The risk group is that of people over 60 years old. So why close the schools?" asked Mr. Bolsonaro. The far-right president accused the media of spreading "hysteria" in the face of the pandemic and said that Brazil was immune, he said, thanks to its warm climate and its predominantly young population.

Faced with the pandemic, several states and cities in Brazil have adopted measures to close businesses and public services and contain the population, notably the state of Sao Paulo, the richest in Brazil.