This content was published on March 21, 2021 – 23:52
Sao Paulo, Mar 21 (EFE) .- Hundreds of bankers and economists released an open letter this Sunday in which they asked the Government of Brazil for effective measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic and accelerate the vaccine, and implicitly criticized the denialist position of President Jair Bolsonaro.
The letter has more than 500 signatures of personalities from the economic world, including those of former finance ministers, former presidents of the Central Bank and senior bank executives, such as the president of Credit Suisse Brasil, José Olympio; and the co-chairs of the Itaú Board of Directors, Roberto Setubal and Pedro Moreira Salles.
The text highlighted that Brazil, with almost 295,000 deaths and 12 million cases, is the “global epicenter” of covid-19 and that the economic and social situation is “bleak.”
“This recession, as well as its dire social consequences, was caused by the pandemic and will not be overcome as long as the pandemic is not controlled by competent action by the federal government,” the signatories said.
“It under-uses or misuses the resources at its disposal, even by ignoring or being negligent with the scientific evidence in the design of actions to deal with the pandemic,” they added.
They also warned that “probably” Brazilian economic activity will be negative in the first quarter of this year, after the 4.1% drop in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020.
“We know that the definitive way out of the crisis requires mass vaccination of the population. Unfortunately, we are late” and at the current rate the total population will not be vaccinated until “mid-2022,” they lamented, while also criticizing the “negligence” of the Executive when buying new doses.
“Mass vaccination is a sine qua non condition for economic recovery and the reduction of deaths,” they pointed out.
“There is no more time to get lost in sterile debates and fake news,” they added.
Likewise, they considered that the current situation “may still deteriorate” further and affirmed that “the reinforcement of social distancing measures is urgent”, measures that Bolsonaro has censured since the beginning of the health crisis and that he even appealed to the Justice.
Also, without citing him directly, they spoke harshly towards the president, who came to describe the disease as “flu” and distrusts the effectiveness of the masks.
“Disdain for science, the defense of treatments without obvious efficacy, the encouragement of crowds, and flirting with the anti-vaccine movement, characterized the country’s greatest political leadership,” they said.
“This position reinforces antisocial norms, makes it difficult for the population to adhere to responsible behavior, increases the number of infected and deaths and increases the costs incurred by the country,” they added.
In this sense, they defended “encouraging the use of a mask”, creating a “national coordination mechanism”, guided by scientists, and “implementing social distancing measures at the local level.”
“The need to adopt a national or regional ‘lockdown’ should be evaluated,” they recommended.
In his opinion, the country can succeed if it pursues a “responsible agenda.”
“The country is in a hurry; the country wants seriousness with public matters; the country is tired of misplaced ideas, inconsistent words, wrong or late actions. Brazil demands respect,” they concluded. EFE
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