Americas press review

In the spotlight: Brazil announces the lifting of all health restrictions

In Brazil, all health restrictions have been lifted, announced the Minister of Health.

© AFP/Mauro Pimentel

Text by: Achim Lippold Follow

4 mins

Advertisement

Read more

"

".

This announcement by Brazilian Minister of Health Marcelo Queiroga is widely commented on in the press.

The

newspaper recalls that the pandemic has killed more than 660,000 people in Brazil.

If the minister during his speech had a thought for the victims, he however defended the management of Covid-19 by the government, affirming that the authorities were able to save many lives.

does not share this view.

The daily stresses that the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, candidate for re-election next October, has been the subject of much criticism for its handling of the pandemic.

He was very reluctant to apply the most basic sanitary measures recommended by the World Health Organization, starting with wearing a mask.

A few weeks ago, Jair Bolsonaro said he wanted to end the pandemic definitively by April and return to normality in Brazil.

But even the health minister admitted yesterday that the country “

”.

The opinion of health experts

According to

, most of the experts consulted by the newspaper believe that it is too early to lift the anti-Covid measures, because the pandemic is far from being under control at the global level.

In some regions, cases of contamination are on the rise.

Declaring the end of the state of health emergency in Brazil could affect the purchase of vaccines.

According to

, health professionals are recommending a 90-day transition period to the government to lift health restrictions.

Democrats on alert over bad polls

It's on the cover of the

.

“

asks the newspaper dramatically.

The daily relies on a recent poll by Quinnipiac University according to which the president's approval rating has fallen to 33%.

Other surveys confirm the erosion of the president's popularity seven months before the midterm elections.

While his record isn't necessarily bad, analysts say he struggles to explain it.

He's not someone who tweets 10 times a day and brags about his actions and that's exactly what Americans elected him to do, as an antidote to Donald Trump.

Only here, explains the

, America has changed and Americans would like to have a "showman" in the White House, who distracts them a little.

Or at least someone who creates an emotional connection with voters, which Joe Biden does not.

Another concern emerging from polls, according to the

 , is that the president is increasingly unpopular with Latinos, a group that has traditionally voted for the Democrats until now.

Why is this electorate turning away from Joe Biden?

Analysts are still trying to figure it out, but one thing is certain: these data show that the upcoming elections will be difficult for Democrats, writes the

.

The Russian ambassador in Washington, the most unpopular man in Washington

Another topic on the front page of Achim's North American press is the war in Ukraine and its implications for the United States.

news site

publishes a portrait of the Russian ambassador in Washington.

Anatoly Antonov who has become the most unpopular man in Washington, according to

.

No one calls or invites him anymore, he no longer has contact with the Russian president, but continues to defend his positions in an interview with

.

According to the news site, Antonov is considered a " 

 ", a hawk, but according to foreign policy experts in Washington, the Russian ambassador does not have much influence on decision-making in Moscow.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_EN

• Brazil

• Coronavirus

• Health and medicine

• Newspaper

• Americas press review