Brazil to declare the end of the pandemic. What next?

Addressing the nation on Sunday evening, Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga announced that the government would declare the end of the Covid public health emergency instated back in February 2020, before the country had identified a single coronavirus infection. The decision is symbolic, coming as a declaration of victory over Covid at a time when the rolling average of new daily deaths remains below 100 and most of the country has returned to a life approaching normality.

Mr. Queiroga said the success of Brazil’s vaccination program and declining mortality figures mean the country will no longer be haunted by the massive waves of deaths seen in 2020 and 2021 — and that authorities are equipped to deal with any localized outbreaks that may happen in the future. 

Behind the optics, however, the public health emergency was a crucial tool to allow for exceptional government measures to fight the coronavirus. Some 2,000 special regulations came into force under the state of emergency’s umbrella, concerning matters such as medicine procurements and health insurance coverage for delivery drivers.

While these measures will not be voided overnight — government institutions will have between 30 and 90 days to adapt — the end of the state of emergency raises doubts about how Brazil will continue dealing with the coronavirus.

Shots in the dark

By declaring the end of the public health emergency, the Bolsonaro administration seeks to hammer home the idea that Brazil has won its battle against the coronavirus. However, while Covid death and infection curves have remained low since February, calling Brazil’s pandemic response a...