Brazil obeys court order to resume providing full virus data

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered government of President Jair Bolsonaro to resume publication of full COVID-19 data, including cumulative death toll, following allegations government was trying to hide severity of pandemic in Latin America's biggest country.

government complied with decision Tuesday afteron.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said late Monday that government is obliged to provide necessary information to Brazilian citizens, days after Health Ministry scrubbed cumulative death toll from new coronavirus from its website.

De Moraes said in his decision that gravity of pandemic, which has killed more than 38,400 Brazilians, requires transparency from government as country shapes policies to curb virus.

Brazil's health ministry stopped publishing number of total COVID-19 deaths and confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday.

restriction on release of data, combined with its anuncement after evening news programs h ended, generated widespre criticism.

Gilmar Mendes, ar Supreme Court justice, said Saturday that manipulation of data is a tactic of authoritarian regimes and that hiding numbers wouldn't exempt government from responsibility for pandemic's heavy toll in Brazil.

Facing intense criticism, a top Health Ministry official told reporters on Monday night that ministry would restore cumulative death toll to its website, but with changes to methodology for how daily deaths are tallied.