The virus and the worm

When the clues led to the militiamen in his backyard, he blamed the investigators. When radars mapped fires in the Amazon, he attacked the scientists. He had the audacity to blame the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) for unemployment, and seems convinced that the media only invents or creates "problems."

Like the athlete he claims to be, he believes himself immune to a disease that has claimed the lives of more than 20 of his close advisors, and which is present in 185 countries, where it has infected more than 2 million people and killed nearly 150 worldwide. 

A disease that could soon bring our healthcare system to the brink of collapse, deepening the suffering of thousands of Brazilian families.

What we've seen so far is someone with the stamina of an athlete to stir up trouble and create smokescreens to hide their own inadequacies.

More out of a lack of repertoire than out of strategy, Bolsonaro has become accustomed to resolving one conflict by creating another.

We're tired of this movie. But it crossed a new line when it aired, urging Brazilians to go out into the streets, contradicting what science, religion, and politics are preaching. In a rare moment when such diverse "powers" repeat the same refrain, "stay home!", it says exactly the opposite.

It misinforms, confuses, hinders, and puts lives at risk.

The fact is that our "athlete president" doesn't have the strength or stature to carry his presidential sash. With his spine bent, he can only look down, into the basements where his most ardent defenders are.

From the "hate cabinet," Bolsonaro organizes and fuels the opposition to his own government. Something never seen before in the country's history.

Without short-term guidelines to ensure that the whirlwind of preventive measures in the field of public health would also have an effect on the economy, the President preferred to attack the health measures, eroding a rare movement of national unity.

After almost two weeks of a huge collective, preventive effort of horizontal social isolation, the President of the Republic makes an irresponsible pronouncement to the nation, overriding the medical and health recommendations practiced globally under the coordination of the World Health Organization, and which were in effect until then in a significant part of the world and throughout our country.

An invitation to a dangerous, real, and imminent risk of contamination by a deadly and little-known virus.

Soon after, he backtracks and once again gives confusing and contradictory signals.

In recent national broadcasts, he signals to the left, but then turns to the right.

In events with large crowds, Bolsonaro defies and disregards all the recommendations of his own Minister of Health, thus setting yet another terrible example for the nation he should be leading.

Incidentally, with the aim of implementing a profound agenda of setbacks in individual rights and guarantees, his Government invested in a new crisis, inaugurating the "soap opera" of the dismissal of Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta. These are well-known and recurring diversionary tactics.

Bolsonaro may be immune to this virus, since there is no effective knowledge regarding his real state of health and his possible infection, but he should be aware of his numerous and varied vulnerabilities. In 30 days, as determined by the Chamber of Deputies, the country will know the results of his tests, and his situation could become even more delicate.

In a desperate attempt to survive politically, he is making increasingly bold moves to flatter and incite his digital hordes and militias. He even went so far as to dangerously facilitate "the game for the opponent" by recommending the loosening of social isolation measures. The "athlete president" is playing against his own team, and against an entire country.

On the ropes, the team's "star player," Minister Mandetta, prepares to leave the field and the game.

Although he campaigned against the revolutionary "More Doctors" program, against the "Popular Pharmacy" program, against the financing process of "Basic Care," and against the important mental health (anti-asylum) program that was in effect until then, the fact is that one cannot fail to recognize the important role of Minister Mandetta and his team in the arduous fight against the pandemic that is ravaging Brazil and the world.

The good news is that the Supreme Federal Court, by majority vote and in a historic videoconference session, allowed states and municipalities to define their own rules for isolation.

According to Minister Gilmar Mendes, "Bolsonaro may dismiss the Minister of Health, but he does not have the power to implement a public policy of a genocidal nature."

Wise, precise, and reassuring words.

The frivolous, irresponsible, and pointless political dispute he has been waging with the Governors of the States of the federation and with some of his closest collaborators has as its backdrop social insensitivity, shortsightedness, and inertia in the economic area.

Various governments are adopting robust measures to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), in a letter to several heads of state, called on leaders to act jointly with "the ambition of the 'Marshall Plan' (the plan to rebuild Europe after the Second World War) and with the vision of the 'New Deal', a program to combat the effects of the 1930s recession in the USA".

It is true that science currently does not have complete mastery over the threat, so as to be able to fully support governments. But it is also true that only science can find the best paths and the best alternatives to this gigantic problem.

Doubts require rational examination and, above all, serenity. The accumulated experience and knowledge in combating health problems has been sufficient to underpin political decisions in all countries, namely: the speed and high degree of transmission of the virus, its lethality and, finally, a complex collateral factor, which is the overload of the public and private health apparatus.

This isn't about possibilities, but about reality. "I don't want to hear about debates among experts. What interests me are the facts. And the facts show that only the countries that imposed social distancing and massively tested their population were successful in combating the pandemic," warned virologist Paolo Zanotto of the University of São Paulo in a recent press interview.

Improvised plans and erratic measures demonstrate that humanity was not truly prepared for this global calamity. Caught off guard, nevertheless, heads of state from most countries adopted the technical and scientific recommendations of public health experts.

Since the Coronavirus pandemic is, in fact, "the third and greatest economic shock of the 21st century," it remains to be seen whether political leaders will possess what in football is called "the star player factor": that they take the reins of a difficult, unfavorable match and win the game with skill, leadership, and team spirit.

Other world leaders embraced the challenge and did what they could, leaving the lesson that human life and the economy can go hand in hand. In these times of emergency, it is necessary to take care of public health as much as it is necessary to save jobs and keep businesses alive. Choosing one compromises all three.

Preserving life while maintaining jobs and the vitality of businesses... In that order, simultaneously and in parallel. That is the great challenge.

Responsible political action is scarce these days. Abraham Lincoln's warning guides the decisions, or omissions, of the present: "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by avoiding it today."

During the elections, Bolsonaro avoided debates to avoid facing questions; in government, he deflects questions he doesn't want to answer or doesn't know how to answer with attacks. He won't be able to escape tomorrow.

Governing based on "social media sentiment," fabricating facts and spreading hatred, will not help in addressing the challenges ahead.

In any scenario, it's safe to say that Bolsonaro will emerge even weaker than he entered...

A true neutrino!!!