The Brazilian National Intelligence Agency warned President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration about the urgency of implementing social isolation measures since as early as April, an exclusive investigation by newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo found. The publication had access to nearly 50 daily reports published between April 27 and May 13 — totaling some 950 pages.
The agency advocated for strict social distancing measures, as well as an increase in the number of Covid-19 tests. In late-March, it had already indicated that an early lockdown was key to controlling the spread of the virus in Europe and could help prevent the skyrocketing of cases in Brazil.
During the April 22 cabinet meeting, the president claimed that he did not receive enough information from official institutions, arguing that he prefers his own intelligence body. According to Mr. Bolsonaro, official information systems “disinform.” On the occasion, he added that he prefers “not to have any information than to be disinformed by the intelligence systems” he has access to.
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