SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The governor of São Paulo, João Doria, announced yesterday, April 6th, the extension of quarantine, a period in which only essential services, such as supermarkets and drugstores, may operate as usual in the state of São Paulo.
As a result, the quarantine, originally scheduled to end today, April 7th, will continue for another 15 days, until April 22nd. The measure applies to all the state’s 645 municipalities.
In a press conference, Doria spoke mainly to all those who advocate a return to work. Quoting Pope Francis and economist Joseph Stiglitz, and allowing time for doctors’ testimonies, all arguing for the paramount priority of saving lives, the governor criticized those who advocate an end to isolation at this time.
“Those who are pressuring me to act against my principles (to end isolation): are you prepared to sign the death certificates of Brazilians, to prepare the caskets? You who advocate crowding and downplaying the crisis, will you bury the victims? The government of São Paulo will continue to act based on science and medicine,” he said. “We will protect lives. We will try to save lives. After that, we are going to save the economy,” he added.
The state of São Paulo records 4,620 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state yesterday, with 275 deaths.