Coronavirus

With 5 million cases of its own, U.S. warns citizens about coronavirus in Brazil

The U.S. Embassy in Brasília issued a warning advising the country's nationals: "Do not travel to Brazil due to the Covid-19."
Photo: Gil C/Shutterstock

The U.S. Embassy in Brasília issued a warning advising American citizens “not to travel to Brazil due to Covid-19.” 

Indeed, Brazil has been a textbook example of how not to deal with the coronavirus pandemic — having confirmed over 3 million cases and 100,000 deaths. However, the U.S. is the only country that has fares worse, totalling 5.1 million cases and 163,613 deaths

In fairness, there is an argument to say that Latin America’s largest nation is coping worse than the U.S., as the latter has a much larger population — 328 million people compared to Brazil’s 210 million.


Violence calls for “increased caution” in Brazil

The embassy also warns about the threat of urban violence in the country. “Violent crime, such as murder, armed robbery, and carjacking, is common in urban areas, day and night.  Gang activity and organized crime is widespread (…) U.S. government personnel are discouraged from using public, municipal buses in all parts of Brazil due to an elevated risk of robbery and assault at any time of day, and especially at night.”

Authorities say U.S. citizens who return from Brazil must remain in strict quarantine for 14 days, as instructed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Brazil briefly halted the entry of foreigners, but began lifting restrictions late in July.

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