In Brazil, Covid is 'just a weak case of the flu'

Far-right Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, believes that quarantine measures are ruinous for the economy and has dismissed the novel coronavirus as nothing more than a "weak case of the flu." Suspected to have contracted the virus himself, Bolsonaro has refused to divulge his medical records, and has continued to ignore social distancing norms when meeting the public.

In fact, the president has allowed gyms and hair salons to be open, even in the states and cities that are currently under lockdown. "Because health is life, today I put gyms, beauty salons and barbers on the list of essential activities," he said.

"Whoever is sedentary at home, for example, is increasing their cholesterol levels, their stress issues, and a whole lot of problems. But if they could go to a gym -- logically in accordance with Health Ministry regulations -- they will have a healthier life," Bolsonaro said. "It's the same with the hair stylist and barber. And having one's nails painted, and fixing up their hair, etc, is a matter of hygiene."

Bolsonaro's decree, which also includes industrial activities and construction, may in the end have no practical effect: Brazil's Supreme Court ruled last month that governors and mayors have the final say in how they counter the spread of the coronavirus. "The economy's enemy is not the quarantine, it's the virus," Joao Doria, the mayor of Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populous city with more than 12 million people, said.

Brazil has now registered a total of 168,331 confirmed cases of the virus and is closing in on the number of cases recorded in Germany and France, where the outbreak has been slowing. To date, Brazil has confirmed 11,519 deaths due to the disease.