Governors Imposing Lockdowns Are "Tyrants," Bolsonaro Says

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that state authorities imposing COVID-19 lockdowns are "tyrants." This, as intensive care units in Rio de Janeiro, reaches 94 percent of its capacity.

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"Brazil is on the right path, and it is a front runner seeking solutions," the far-right president remarked during a speech in the capital Brasilia, teleSUR's correspondent in Brazil Andre Vieira reports.

On March 8, representatives from most Brazilian states called on Bolsonaro's government to impose tighter restriction measures, but the president ignored it. Faced with the absence of a national plan to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, governors and mayors are ordering lockdowns independently.
 

The decision has divided the officials who fight over the extent of the measures. At the same time, Bolsonaro says that this government has done everything possible, and it is time to reopen the economy.

According to Vieira, "the mayors of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói jointly announced that bars, schools, and restaurants would be closed during the 'super holiday' from March 26 to April 2. Meanwhile, the governor of Rio de Janeiro said that he would issue a decree preventing the closing of bars."