AP: Brazilians start defying isolation, egged on by Bolsonaro

[denem]

Brazilians start defying isolation, egged on by Bolsonaro

... Egged on by Bolsonaro, who has routinely scoffed at both the virus and stay-at-home policies, Brazilians are heeding his call for revolt. Support for isolation is faltering, particularly among the wealthy, and more people are milling and mixing. From the sun-worshipers to the Instagram influencers and pro-Bolsonaro protesters, denial is spreading and quarantine is coming apart. But, unlike other countries looking to ease restrictions, Latin America’s largest nation is still weeks from the peak in its viral curve.

Bolsonaro first staked out his argument that the economy needs to get back to work in a national address at the end of March, when he referred to the coronavirus as “a little flu” and said his history as an athlete would protect him.

Since then, he has doubled down time and again, saying only high-risk Brazilians need to be isolated, even as the official count of cases rockets past 85,000 and deaths surpass 5,900 — more than the amount suffered by China. Experts consider both figures to be significant under-counts due to a lack of widespread testing.

Asked about the grim milestone Bolsonaro responded, “So what? I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?”

... Bolsonaro’s hard-core base has staged rallies to shore up support for their leader’s views, most recently on Sunday in the capital, Brasilia. Many of the several hundred demonstrators draped themselves in the Brazilian flag, and the few face masks were in the national colors of green and yellow. Most neglected to use masks altogether, even as they shouted into a shared bullhorn.

https://apnews.com/eeae3fd8920850cb1e42a2f89ce7a967

[Mike 03]

1. That one sentence should be adjusted to read:

he referred to the coronavirus as “a little flu” and said his history as an asshole would protect him

I do hope scientists look into whether or not assholes are immune from the coronavirus.