Brazil's Bolsonaro joins protest against coronavirus restrictions
Brazil's president appears at a protest calling on the army to intervene in the handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, has come out in public to support hundreds of people defending military rule and protesting against stay-at-home orders issued by state governors to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The crowd of about 600 people gathered in front of the army's headquarters in the capital, Brasilia, on Sunday, Brazil's armed forces day.
Brazil president fires health minister during coronavirus crisis
Henrique Mandetta's dismissal comes amid tensions with President Jair Bolsonaro over the country's COVID-19 response. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, whose dismissive stance toward the COVID-19 pandemic has angered health experts, fired his popular health minister following a series of disagreements over the proper response to contain its spread in South America's most populous country. Luiz Henrique Mandetta, an orthopedist, garnered support for his handling of the pandemic that included promotion of broad isolation measures enacted by state governors.
Chile: Teachers Reject Resuming School Year Over COVID-19
Chile's Professors College refused Sunday to resume the educational year in May. The union expressed its disagreement with the Chilean president's administrative decisions. Sebastian Piñeira, Chile´s president, announced administrative measures to resume social and economic activities amid the pandemic. Piñera stated gradual retake on productive and public labors April 27. Chilean mandatary also announced professors and students would return to schools. Mario Aguilar, the educators’ union president rejected these statements. "We find it outrageous that just when the pandemic is at its peak, (there is) a return to classes. "It is a direct attack on the health of the people and the students," affirmed Aguilar to local news media.
Russian and Venezuelan Presidents Hold Solidarity Phone Meeting
Venezuela and Russia agreed on Monday to consolidate their bilateral relations at a strategic level in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro held a telephone conversation with his Russian colleague, Vladimir Putin. The conversation addressed joint efforts to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a shared analysis of the international situation and progress in cooperation projects between the two countries.
Peru: riot police block highway as people attempt to flee amid lockdown
Riot police in Peru have blockaded a major highway and fired teargas into crowds of people attempting to flee the capital city and return on foot to their rural hometowns as the country’s strict coronavirus lockdown entered its sixth week. Local television images on Monday showed hundreds of families, including young children, trekking along highways with their belongings on their backs as they made long journeys to family homes.
Gloria Estefan invites you to sing “Put on your mask”
Another COVID-19 parody song has appeared, this time by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan. She posted a video of the song on her Instagram inspired by her 1989 hit Get On Your Feet. This time, however, instead of getting on one’s feet, Estefan is encouraging others to “Put On Your Mask”.
