Brazil: Official Mourning After Alarming COVID-19 Death Toll

Brazilian National Congress and Federal Supreme Court (STF) Saturday decreed an official mourning period out of respect for the over 100,000 COVID-19 deaths in the nation.

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Senate President Davi Alcolumbre made official the announcement where the National Congress decreed four days of mourning and the STF decreed three days.

"Today is one of the saddest days in our recent history. Brazil records 100,000 lives lost to COVID-19. The National Congress decrees 4-day official mourning in solidarity with all Brazilians affected by the pandemic and the victims of this tragedy," he stated.

Also, STF President Dias Toffoli expressed his sorrow for the situation the country is going through.

"The pain resulting from the pandemic is immeasurable. But the greatest pain of all is undoubtedly the loss of someone we love. This is something that can never be repaid or compensated for," he tweeted.

On Friday, Brazilian unions held a national mourning day to denounce far-right president Jair Bolsonaro and his administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), as of July, the COVID-19 pandemic had already ended 7.8 million jobs, and about 13 million Brazilians remained unemployed.

 Nevertheless, president Bolsonaro vetoed a moratorium on evictions. Hence, thousands of families across the country are at risk of being homeless or living in those conditions already.