Covid-19: Brazil passes France, records 11,385 new cases

Brazil has recorded 11,385 new cases of the novel coronavirus.

While disclosing this on Wednesday evening, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, stated that the country had taken over from France to become the sixth-worst hit country.

“It will reach the point where hungry people take to the streets,” Bolsonaro said on Wednesday.

He escalated the fight this week by declaring gyms and beauty salons as “essential” services that can open for business, threatening legal action against local governments that don’t comply.

While expressing concerns over the way state governors have been handling the lockdown, Bolsonaro stressed that “They are causing more damage through lost jobs than the disease itself.”

The new cases, which were confirmed within 24 hours, have brought the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 188,974 since the outbreak began.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has battered Brazil’s economy as residents shelter at home and many state and local governments instructed most businesses to close to slow the spread of the virus.

The economy ministry predicted the Brazilian economy would contract 4.7% in 2020, the biggest annual fall since records began more than a century ago.

The ministry estimates every additional week of quarantine measures costs the economy 20 billion reais ($3.40 billion).