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In mid-March, Brazil took what seemed to be a forceful early strike against the coronavirus pandemic.
The Brazilian Health Ministry mandated that cruises be cancelled. It advised local authorities to scrap large-scale events. And it urged travellers arriving from abroad to go into isolation for a week.
Less than 24 hours later, the ministry watered down its own advice, citing “criticism and suggestions” it had received from local communities.
In fact, four people familiar with the incident told Reuters that the change came after intervention from the chief of staff’s office for Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro.
Read the full Reuters special report here.
