Published 11:27 IST, July 4th 2020

Brazil records 42,223 new COVID-19 cases in single day, total tally surpasses 1.5 million

Brazil’s health ministry said that the country recorded nearly 42,223 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to over 1.5 million.

World News
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Brazil’s health ministry on July 3 reportedly said that the country recorded nearly 42,223 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to over 1.5 million. The South American country is the second-worst hit after the United States. The health ministry reportedly also announced that the number of COVID-19 death also rose by 1,290 and the total toll now stands at 63,174.

Even with the soaring number of confirmed cases, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro continues to downplay the pandemic. Several local epidemiologists and the World Health Organisation have also expressed concern about Bolsonaro’s approach. Amid the global criticism of the President’s handling of the COVID-10 pandemic, on July 3, Bolsonaro reportedly approved a law obliging the use of face masks on streets and public transport, however, he reportedly vetoed clauses that would have required them in churches, schools, shops and factories.

READ: Bolsonaro Waters Down Law Requiring Face Masks In Brazil

According to an international media outlet, the Brazilian President argued that forcing people to use face coverings in such places could violate property rights. He reportedly also vetoed an article that would have forced the government to provide masks to vulnerable groups that would have required commercial establishments to provide masks to their employees. With COVID-19 spreading across the nation rapidly and the health experts recently also warned of the virus returning to major cities.

READ: Brazil's Christ The Redeemer Statue Lights Up To Pay Tribute To COVID-19 Victims | Watch

‘Boomerang’ of cases will be ‘tsunami’

The virus has been spreading mostly in larger cities, however, since late May it has been spreading faster in the interior of the country. According to reports, earlier this month, the country also reported that 60 per cent of the new cases were registered in smaller cities. The Brazilian health ministry further noted that the deaths are also rising outside of the major cities.

As per reports, the experts believe the impact of a potential second wave of a new case in urban centres could further complicate attempts to reopen businesses and revive the hard-hit economy. While speaking to an international media outlet, Miguel Nicolelis, who is coordinating a coronavirus task force advising the state governments of Brazil’s northeast, said that the ‘boomerang’ of cases that will return to the capital of the country will be ‘tsunami’.