MONTEVIDEO, April 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of coronavirus infections across Latin America surpassed 100,000 on Sunday with nearly 5,000 deaths, according to official figures reported by individual countries.
Brazil, with a population of 210 million, has the most cases — 38,654 infections and 2,462 deaths — although experts believe the number of infections to be far greater, given relatively little testing.
Based on official figures, Latin America as a whole had 100,952 cases on Sunday, with 4,924 deaths.
While Europe and North America have so far borne the brunt of the pandemic, infections have been steadily rising across Latin America which has little of the health infrastructure of its richer counterparts.
The International Monetary Fund issued a dire warning on Thursday over the far-reaching economic consequences for the region, saying it is facing its worst recession since countries began producing data in the 1950s.
Recent conditions in the region have led to “plummeting” economic activity with growth estimated to contract by 5.2 percent in 2020, said Alejandro Werner, the IMF’s western hemisphere director.
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday joined hundreds of demonstrators outside army headquarters in the capital Brasilia protesting stay-at-home orders issued by state governors.
The crowd of around 600 called on the army to intervene in the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and demanded the closure of Congress.
Some held up posters declaring “Military intervention with Bolsonaro”.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has constantly criticized partial quarantine measures adopted by governors, including those in charge of the country’s most populous states, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
On Friday, he sacked his health minister, who supported the restrictions that Bolsonaro says are damaging the economy.
During his address, which was interspersed with fits of coughing, the president made no response to the crowd’s call for military intervention nor the demand to close Congress.
“You must fight for your country. Count on your president to do what is necessary so that we can guarantee democracy and what is most dear to us, our freedom,” Bolsonaro said.
The most populous states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on Friday extended partial quarantine measures.
A majority of Brazilians approve the government’s confinement regulations despite its impact on the economy, according to a poll published Saturday.
