Brazil military distribute face masks to largest Amazon tribe amid coronavirus fear

Brazilian Army on July 1 handed out face masks to indigeus people of Amazon rainforest for second day of a military operation aimed at protecting isolated tribes from coronavirus outbreak. Brazilian armed forces carried out a massive drive to test indigeus Yamami people for COVID-19 and Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo said that y have detected zero cases so far, claiming situation to be under control. Yamami is a group of some 35,000 people who live in vills in Amazon rainforest on border between Venezuela and Brazil.

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most recent threat that Yamami people face is an invasion from illegal gold miners, who have infiltrated country's largest reservation, poisoning rivers, killing tribals, and destroying forest lands. According to reports, two tribal people were allegedly shot by illegal gold miners on reservation land, which Defence Minister Azevedo has termed an isolated case and said that an investigation is being carried out by police. Indigeus leaders have also appealed to Supreme Court of country to order federal government to protect reservations and tribals from illegal miners, poachers, etc. 

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COVID-19 in Brazil

According to indigeus umbrella organization APIB, coronavirus has also impacted tribals in forest saying that over 400 people have died due to disease so far and nearly 10,000 people have been infected. APIB said that COVID-19 has infected people across 112 different tribes. Brazil is currently second-most affected country in world and only nation after United States to recond more than a million coronavirus cases. Brazil has logged in over 1.4 million coronavirus cases to date, of which 60,632 people have lost ir lives, according to figures by Johns Hopkins University. 

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