“Brazil's Bolsonaro denounces mayors over virus lockdowns”, 25^th March 2020

…President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday blasted as criminals the governors and mayors of Brazil's largest states and cities for imposing lockdowns…

Bolsonaro has aligned himself with United States President Donald Trump in prioritising the economy over the shutdowns favoured by public health experts…

"Other viruses have killed many more than this one, and there wasn't all this commotion," Bolsonaro told journalists outside his official residence. "What a few mayors and governors are doing is a crime. They're destroying Brazil."

"If we don't get back to work, Brazil could depart from democratic normalcy," he added, citing recent examples of social unrest in Latin America…

Demand for electricity, a strong indicator of economic activity, fell sharply at the start of the week in Brazil, according to the National Operator of the Electricity System.

The agricultural sector, a powerhouse of the Brazilian economy, also said it was suffering due to the coronavirus, with farm lobby CNA warning that grain, coffee and sugar cane growers were facing operational hurdles.

Still, the Ministry of the Economy made clear it would not sacrifice long-term debt targets to rescue the economy, with a top official saying there was no capacity for huge fiscal packages to fight the coronavirus crisis…