Bolsonaro acknowledges he does not have the power to break isolation.
"I'm not going to get into any controversy here; the Supreme Court's decision rests with the governors and mayors. The president of the Republic, as the head of the Federal Executive branch, cannot get involved in that area," he said.
BRASILIA (Reuters) - President Jair Bolsonaro stated this Thursday that complaints about social isolation measures must be directed to governors and mayors, following a decision the previous day by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) that prevents him from blocking these measures adopted by regional governments during the coronavirus pandemic.
“(The Supreme Court's decision) removed the federal government from making decisions in this regard. So the responsibility, if you have any problem in your state, if you think the quarantine, the measures taken in your state are harming you, the appropriate forum for you to complain is the respective governor, the respective mayor,” Bolsonaro said in his weekly live broadcast.
"I'm not going to get into any controversy here; the Supreme Court's decision rests with the governors and mayors. The president of the Republic, as the head of the Federal Executive, cannot get involved in that area," he added. Without giving details, the president said the federal government will appeal.
The decision was made by Alexandre de Moraes in a lawsuit filed by the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB). The injunction, however, does not cite any specific case.
According to the Supreme Court Justice, governors and mayors have legal grounds to impose social distancing measures, such as "quarantine, suspension of educational activities, restrictions on commerce, cultural activities, and the movement of people."
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In the broadcast, Bolsonaro reiterated his defense of people's right to return to work, seeing no problem with those under 40 and in good health leaving their homes. For him, at the moment there are "two diseases" to combat: the virus and unemployment.
The president said that the federal government has already surpassed the mark of 600 billion reais in resources to combat the coronavirus and fight unemployment, mentioning a series of measures taken by the Federal Executive in recent days.
He stressed that the limit is up to four months for the country to withstand the social isolation measures and that he hopes activities will resume before that deadline.
Present at the broadcast, made from the Alvorada Palace, the president of Caixa Econômica Federal, Pedro Guimarães, announced that the bank is giving a six-month grace period before payments begin for those who buy real estate.