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(CNN) - The coronavirus is unleashed on the fringes of Rio de Janeiro, in the hills and slums led by drug gangs, where the police dare not go unless it is in an armed raid.
In the absence of state aid (President Jair Bolsonaro has pledged to crush criminals "like cockroaches"), the gangs have stepped forward. Where they used to sell narcotics with the gun law, now they also impose curfews, social distancing and deliver food for those most in need.
"We fear the virus, not Bolsonaro," said Ronaldo, a member of a gang who, like most of the people interviewed, requested anonymity or gave a false name. “We cannot count exactly how many have died. Hospitals kill more than if you stay home and take care of yourself. ”
A drug gang gave CNN access to one of Rio's poorest and most socially isolated communities, to illustrate how it has dealt with covid-19. It is an inaccessible area for state healthcare. Alcohol gel, drugs, and even cash are part of a system that gang members were eager to show, when Brazil is the country with the second-highest number of coronavirus infections behind the United States, and where cases are still doubling. biweekly.
Four young men get off their bikes and start lifting large plastic bags from the back of a truck. The first pack of groceries goes to a manicurist who has been out of a job for four months. The second goes to a street vendor.
"Things are getting very difficult," said the street vendor, who asked for anonymity. She says she is trying to establish a position in the community, but there is no one to buy her products.
"I'm trying at least," he said. “Children and many people get sick. The food they are giving us helps a lot. ”
She says that her father-in-law died in April of covid-19. She seemed stable, she adds, until she was transferred to the hospital where she died during the day.
"So far we have not received a complete report on what happened, except that it was covid-19," he said. "It took two weeks to bury him."
He says his uncle is now sick and hospitalized, having contracted the virus while working at the supermarket.
Medical assistance is available in the community, but hospitalizations are rare.
"Community doctors help the sick on a voluntary basis," said Ronaldo. “People who have money can get assistance. Those who don't have it simply can't. ”
The community sometimes contributes to pay for burials, says Ronaldo.
"The isolation was going well here, but now even the president himself, in his own words, is ignoring it," said Ronaldo. "But we cannot relax. We have seen a lot of death. We know it is not a small thing. ”
As he spoke, two teenagers played billiards nearby. Many here violate the rules of social distancing, as they do in the richest area below.
"It is difficult to impose quarantine on people," said Ronaldo.
These drug dealers, young and armed with old semi-automatic rifles, short-barreled M4s and, in Ronaldo's case, a Glock pistol adapted to a rifle, have become as knowledgeable of the covid-19 as of narcotics.
When asked if they would accept any of the two million doses of hydroxychloroquine that the United States agreed to send to Brazil, despite the fact that the drug was declared ineffective against covid-19 and perhaps dangerous by the World Health Organization, Ronaldo responds. :
"I don't think hydroxychloroquine helps. It is BS. Everything that arrives in Brazil from abroad has already been contaminated. ”
Unable to work as a hairdresser for the covid-19, Neia began making and selling masks.
The streets seem busy for a curfew. However, bars are closed and businesses have adapted to the pandemic.
Neia, a hairdresser before the pandemic, has dedicated herself to making masks. She sells them through her front window, allowing her to stay indoors. They're free for kids, and three face masks cost 10 reais (about $ 1.75) for adults. But Neia says that drug dealers give her 15 reais.
"I am more afraid of the virus than anything else here," he said. “An old man who lives there (next to his house) died. People generally respect isolation. "
Crime has often separated this community from the rest of Rio. Police regularly assault the area, as part of Bolsonaro's operations against the favelas. You said that a cop who doesn't kill is not a real cop. And the resulting increase in deadly operations has led to protests by human rights defenders.
The most recent incursion near this favela occurred ten days ago and left at least seven dead. Signs that another raid may be on the way are everywhere: a large rock blocks a road, the sound of firecrackers from a roof may be a warning that a security guard has seen something strange, and the police may be on the move. time.
Street vendor Daniel says death is everywhere in the neighborhood.
Almost everyone we spoke to had a history of death or coronavirus infection. Daniel, who works at a street food stall, told stories of deaths he had heard about while making cakes.
"A girl who lives nearby who died today," he said, adding that a friend of his with diabetes and a heart condition also died suddenly at his home. The street he lives on has seen two deaths, he says.
"There is less movement in the streets," said Daniel. “I wash my hands here all the time. I use hand gel, masks and I clean the stall a lot. ”
Traffickers have banned restaurants from setting tables, he reveals.
"The virus is in control here," said Daniel. “Even traffickers are afraid. It is not possible to control everyone ”.
Motorcycles buzz back and forth, some carrying armed men, others carrying teenage girls for the night. The streets are full of activity. Sometimes it feels like a world before restrictions.
But locals say it is quite empty. Normally, they claim, music would be heard from bars and drug trafficking would be more frequent.
Areas like these will be a permanent concern for healthcare workers as the pandemic grows. The state will know little about how the virus has spread in these communities. Residents here may live separate from Rio's wealthiest neighborhoods, but many work there, however, and can transmit the virus.
The firecrackers suddenly sound again, and they fear the police are on the way.
coronavirus