Ever since the pandemic started, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has defied scientific consensus on almost every major issue, including the efficacy of chloroquine, mask use, and vaccines. But no single pandemic-related matter is as important to Mr. Bolsonaro as his opposition to social distancing and lockdowns. He claimed stay-home orders would create a hunger epidemic and even took state governments to the Supreme Court to lift lockdown measures.
So, when the president and his allies argue that the country should cancel its 2022 Carnival celebrations using Covid transmission risks as an excuse, it certainly sounds a bit rich. “If it...
