Domestic Politics
After it appeared that Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta had come to an agreement with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, he was unceremoniously sacked on Friday. The two have repeatedly clashed, with Mandetta advocating for social distancing, while Bolsonaro wants to keep the economy open. Mandetta will be replaced by Nelson Teich. [Merco Press]
After firing his health minister, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he hopes this is the “last week of this quarantine, of this way of fighting the virus”, despite the fact that Brazil has over 40,000 COVID-19 cases, with 2,575 deaths. [Associated Press]
Argentinian capital Buenos Aires decided against implementing stricter restrictions on elderly residents following criticism that it is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and a form of imprisonment. The city was planning to require residents above the age of 70 to obtain permission to leave their homes. [Al Jazeera]
International Relations
The US and Mexico are extending restrictions on non-essential travel across their shared border for another 30 days. The temporary closure was first implemented on March 21. People with temporary work visas, emergency personnel, students, and those traveling for business are still allowed to enter the US. [NPR]
Roughly 1.6 million Venezuelans live in Colombia, and 60% of them have not registered with the government, and hence cannot access services and welfare payments. This, alongside the fact that many are now being evicted from their homes, is forcing many Venezuelans to return to their crisis-torn country, which is now even more vulnerable now due to the coronavirus outbreak. [CNN]
202 Cuban doctors are being sent to Argentina to help the nation combat the spread of COVID-19. During the ongoing pandemic, Cuba has sent doctors and nurses to 21 countries across the globe. [Telesur]
Health
Peru is Latin America’s 2nd most affected country after Brazil, with over 15,000 COVID-19 cases. It has thus far reported 400 deaths. The country’s lockdown has been extended to April 26, while the government announced a stimulus package of $26.41 billion–12% of Ecuador’s GDP–and the central bank lowered interest rates to 0.25%. [NBC News]
Economy
The COVID-19 crisis has left Ecuador in danger of defaulting on its $17 billion of debt. As expenses to contain the coronavirus rise, this puts the country in a precarious position of not being able to balance its already widening fiscal deficit. President Lenin Moreno says Ecuador will receive $3 billion from multilateral agencies and China; however, only $580 million of this has been received so far. [Merco Press]
Image Source: TIME
Latin America in Review: April 21, 2020
Read more about the latest events from Latin America.
April 21, 2020
