Brazil’s Economy Minister is warning of potential economic collapse and social unrest if the country remains locked down for another 30 days because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Brazil, with a population of 209.5 million, is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in South America. The nation has 136,519 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 9,265 deaths and 55,350 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. But experts have warned that the true number is likely much higher than reported statistics due to a lack of testing resources
“Within about 30 days, there may start to be shortages on shelves and production may become disorganized, leading to a system of economic collapse, of social disorder,” Economy Minister Paulo Guedes warned Thursday.
“This is a serious alert,” he added.
Brazil has implemented social distancing and stay-at-home orders in an effort to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus.
But calls have been growing within far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration to lift the restrictions and say the measures are needlessly hurting the economy.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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