The ax finally fell, after weeks of confrontations and provocations by interposed declarations: Jair Bolsonaro sacked Thursday his popular Minister of Health, Luis Henrique Mandetta, at a critical time for Brazil, whose hospitals are already on the brink saturation near the peak of contamination.
The new health minister is oncologist Nelson Teich, who said at a press conference that he would not make a "rough decision" regarding a possible lifting of the containment measures called for by President Bolsonaro.
Containment and social distancing vs “little flu”
Luis Henrique Mandetta has always advocated confinement and social distancing, following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) to the letter, in the name of "science".
But the president constantly hampered his action, calling the virus "a little flu" and questioning the containment measures taken by the governors of almost all Brazilian states.
"Science is light," said the deposed minister on Thursday, shortly after being greeted by a standing ovation from ministry officials at his last press conference. "The remedy cannot have more harmful side effects than the disease," replied Jair Bolsonaro a few minutes later at another press conference, reiterating that job preservation was a priority for him.
"Divorce by mutual consent," says Bolsonaro
The head of state spoke of a "divorce by mutual consent" over the dismissal of the minister, which had been awaited for several days, their views being completely incompatible.
Luis Henrique Mandetta seems to have crossed the red line Sunday evening, during an interview with the TV channel Globo, by affirming that "the Brazilians do not know any more if they must listen to the minister or the president".
A statement throwing a harsh light on the cacophony of the government which cost him the support of the soldiers, who had weighed with all their weight the previous week to save his post.
Many political commentators also estimate that Jair Bolsonaro no longer supported this very popular minister, who had twice as many favorable opinions as him in the polls.
A new Minister of Health on the same wavelength?
His successor had already been approached for this portfolio after the election, in October 2018, of Jair Bolsonaro, but Luiz Henrique Mandetta had been preferred to him, in particular because of his political supports in Parliament.
Supported by the Brazilian Medical Association (AMB), Nelson Teich, like his predecessor, considers that containment is the best way to stem the pandemic.
At his press conference, Jair Bolsonaro spoke of a “gradual recovery” of economic activities. “Life is priceless, but the economy must return to normal to keep jobs. Not as quickly as possible, I spoke to Doctor Nelson (Teich) about this, but we have to start thinking about a relaxation, ”he said.
Statements that suggest differences with the new minister, when the peak of the pandemic is not expected before May or June in Brazil.
"The intentions of the new minister are not clear, but Bolsonaro would not have chosen him if they were not on the same wavelength," said Vinicius Vieira, political scientist at the University of Sao Paulo ( USP).
"Even if the new minister should not be expected to criticize social distancing, he will certainly not defend it either. This can push people to abandon containment, ”he added.
Supreme Court confirms measures of mayors and governors
On Wednesday evening, the Supreme Court decided that decisions by mayors or regional governors on containment measures should prevail over any directive from the federal government.
But the quarantine decreed by the governors is less restrictive than in most European countries, without coercive measures to force the population to stay at home, even if most of the businesses have been closed.
The latest official assessment in Brazil, a country of 210 million inhabitants, reports 30,425 cases of Covid-19, including 1,924 fatal. But many specialists consider that the number of cases is largely underestimated, some even believing that the 300,000 mark has been crossed for several days.
World
Coronavirus: Twitter deletes two Bolsonaro posts questioning containment
Sport
Coronavirus: Dani Alves challenges Jair Bolsonaro and urges him to start containment in Brazil
- Jair Bolsonaro
- Containment
- Coronavirus
- World
- Brazil