Contrary to recommendations from the World Health Organization and specialists in the area, and to the experiences of other countries, whose health systems are in chaos due to a lack of isolation initiatives,
the president distorted the true perspectives of the pandemic in Brazil by suggesting a suspension
of isolation.
The spread of the virus is real and the number of deaths will consequently increase, not only among
the mostvulnerable living in underprivileged areas without water or basic sanitation, but also among
informal workers. It is estimated that the Coronavirus crisis will affect the economic activities
of the poorest and reinforce social inequalities in Brazil. Under these circumstances, the
minimum expected of a leader and the highest authority in the country is the provision of
adequate healthcare for those infected, the dissemination of concise information related to
prevention and, principally, the adoption of measures to preserve workers’ income during the
isolation period. Company profits and political survival do not come above human life!