By Bianca Oliveira
SAO PAULO – The daily worsening of the pandemic with the collapse of the health system in several states in Brazil, led a group of economists and businessmen to prepare the document “The Country Demands Respect; Life Needs Science and Good Government – Open Letter to Society Regarding Measures to Combat Pandemic, ”which details the economic and social impacts attributed to the pandemic.
The letter was sent to the leaders of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches and had, until this Monday (22), more than 1500 signatures. Despite not mentioning President Jair Bolsonaro, the text severely criticizes the actions of the federal government in relation to the lack of coordination in facing the pandemic and calls for a new approach in the face of the crisis.
“We are on the threshold of an explosive phase of the pandemic and it is essential that, from now on, public policies are based on data, reliable information and scientific evidence. There is no more time to waste on sterile debates and false news. We need to be guided by successful experiences, by low-cost and high-impact actions, by initiatives that can actually reverse the unprecedented situation that the country is experiencing”, says the document.
Four measures are listed as indispensable for combating the pandemic, starting with the mass vaccination which, according to the text, “has a high private and social benefit, and a comparatively low cost”. The authors are emphatic in stating that “it is unreasonable to expect a recovery in economic activity in an uncontrolled epidemic”. Encouraging the use of the mask, both with free distribution and with educational guidance, and the implementation of social distance measures are other urgent measures mentioned in the letter. For the group, the example of government leaders in complying with these measures is fundamental in combating Covid-19, stating that “messages contrary to preventive measures affect its adoption by the population, leading to an increase in contagion”.
Finally, the letter calls for the creation of a national coordination mechanism to combat the pandemic,