We’re covering today Brazilians’ waning interest for coronavirus information. Why farmers must pay attention to changes in China’s agricultural policies. And the woes of Brazilian airlines.
Coronavirus old news to Brazilians?
According to pollster Datafolha, 34 percent of Brazilians are “afraid” of the coronavirus — and 45 percent are “very afraid.” Still, the interest in gathering information online about the pandemic has dwindled very quickly. Google searches for the terms “coronavirus” or “Covid-19” (in multiple spellings) are only 13 percent of levels March 20, when online interest about the pandemic peaked.
Why is that happening? We asked Amanda Coutinho, a postdoctoral researcher on culture and society at the Federal University of Bahia. She points out a few potential explanations for this phenomenon:
- The war of narratives between state governors and the federal government has created a confused public arena;
- The federal government itself has spread Covid-19 denial, with President Jair Bolsonaro being the first to boycott social isolation measures;
- Despite infection curves remaining on an upwards trend, states are already reopening — giving the impression that the worst of the pandemic is behind us;
- A historical Brazilian tendency of “not dealing with problems until they disappear.”
Distractions. The political crisis is...