Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday fired his health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, after they butted heads on how to tackle the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Bolsonaro has downplayed the epidemic, saying that "life is priceless, but the economy and jobs must return to normal." Mandetta in turn was adamant about how important social distancing guidelines are in curbing the spread of the virus. During his final briefing on Thursday, Mandetta told Brazilians not to "think that we are going to escape a sharp rise in cases of this illness. The health system still isn't ready [for] a rapid increase [in cases]." He also offered encouragement, saying, "Don't be afraid. Science is light ... and it is through science that we will find a way out of this."
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