In favelas, economic chokehold adds to the virus fears

Soon after the pandemic reached Brazil, it became apparent that the coronavirus was no great equalizer. The virus entered Brazil from Europe, brought back by wealthier, predominantly white citizens traveling abroad. But the victim profile in the country quickly changed, ravaging low-income communities where social distancing is nearly impossible and sanitary conditions are questionable at best. A new, even more brutal wave of the coronavirus has once again victimized Brazil’s less-wealthy populations — with an additional problem: the latest isolation measures represent an economic chokehold on poor Brazilians.

With states forced to enact new restrictions, many families lost their livelihoods. For Ariane Bernardes, who lives on the poor outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, the latest wave of infections came as a crushing blow to her household. “I am unemployed and without any source of income at his point,” she tells The Brazilian Report. “My boyfriend works for himself, and he leaves every morning to look for food donations, leftover fruits and vegetables at markets.”

“Unfortunately,” she explains, “there is not a lot of food left — we are living off of rice, beans, and tomatoes. We can’t afford any meat.”