Bolsonaro's duty

The main obligation of any ruler in a democracy is to protect the life and well-being of its citizens, but what the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, is doing with his management of the pandemic is the exact opposite. The reckless and irresponsible attitude of the leader of the largest country in South America threatens to cause countless fatalities if he does not immediately adopt containment measures backed by the international scientific community and followed by most of the world's rulers, including those who in At first they were skeptical about the true gravity of the situation.

Disregarding science from the beginning and basing his decisions on personal opinions without empirical foundation, Bolsonaro has had a hard time recognizing that the Brazilian population as a whole is facing what may be its greatest threat in the country's 197-year history . After insisting at first that the disease caused by the coronavirus was "a flu" and saying things as shocking as a Brazilian does not catch "because he is capable of diving in a sewer and nothing happens to him," he repeatedly disdained the idea of total confinement of the population in their homes recommended by the World Health Organization, also claiming the damage that this would cause to the economy. He has walked through the markets and encouraged not to stop economic activity. The result is that Brazil has lost precious time.

His statements and his use of social networks also not only create confusion in a country where some governors and mayors are being forced to adopt measures that the federal government disdains, but may encourage social upheaval. Thus, Bolsonaro has allowed himself to put on his social networks —impossible to know for what reason— images of shortages in some areas of the country, which he later had to retract as they were false. The President has apologized, but the damage has already been done. Even the most important social networks have even deleted Bolsonaro's messages for violating the terms of fake news. An unprecedented and revealing fact. It is also significant that the Army has contradicted the president from the beginning and considered Covid-19 as the main challenge it has ever faced.

During a global health crisis there is no point in dwelling on what could have been done better or was not done. There will be time later. The urgent thing is to stop the spread of the virus and its trail of deaths. Bolsonaro has the obligation to immediately take all necessary measures to do so. He owes it, not to the science he despises, but to the Brazilian people.

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