Earlier this week, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Marcelo Crivella announced a one-week partial lockdown for the low-income neighborhood of Campo Grande — which has recorded more Covid-19 deaths than any other in the city. On the first day of strict isolation, however, commerce remained open as usual. Municipal security forces then proceeded to close down stores.
Similar incidents have been registered in other parts of Brazil. In Pará, where more than 90 percent of intensive care beds are in use, markets were reportedly open at the start of the 10-day lockdown in Greater Belém.
With over 5,000 confirmed cases, the northeast state of Maranhão has also registered intense activity in the outskirts of state capital São Luis — despite heavy policing in the busiest areas of the city.
In Belo Horizonte, bars and restaurants recorded a busy day on Wednesday — though local laws prohibit such places from hosting customers. Minas Gerais is one of the states where under-reporting is most severe, according to experts.
Last weekend, President Jair Bolsonaro himself broke quarantine with a trip to the state of Goiás, encouraging his supporters to do the same.
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