The virus continues to hit the country, registering 11,555 new infection cases • Number of dead climbed to 754 a day • President Bolsonaro attacks closure policy

• Burial of Corona patients in Sao Paulo

  Photo: 

  Reuters

Brazil recorded a record number of new patients with the Corona virus tonight (Thursday), with 11,555 daily infections. Also, the death toll from the virus only continues to rise when in the last 24 hours 754 people have died, while in the previous day 779 deaths were recorded. 

The number of infections now stands at 189,157, placing Brazil sixth and dubious in the list of countries with the highest number of infections, which in the last few hours, due to a record number of infections, overtook France. The death toll rose to 13,158.

In spite of all this, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro continues to adhere to his position that state closure restrictions cause more harm than the virus itself. "It will come to a point where hungry people are out on the streets," Bolsonaro said last night. 

The president continues the fight against the governors of the state that shut down closures and this week declared gyms and beauty salons as "essential" services that could open. He also threatened legal action against local governments that did not obey his directives.

According to forecasts from the local Ministry of Economy yesterday, the Brazilian economy will shrink by 4.7% in 2020. If forecasts do come true, this is the largest annual decline since records began more than a century ago. The firm estimates that each additional week of closure costs $ 3.4 billion.

Sao Paulo, the most populous country in Brazil and a major outbreak of the virus, will not comply with Bolsonaro's order, Governor Joao Doria said last night, echoing the remarks made by at least ten other governors.