Two Brazilian Ministers Recommend Tourism in Brazil to Avoid Coronavirus

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta recommended on Wednesday, February 26th, that Brazilians travel within Brazil rather than overseas, to avoid being contaminated by the new coronavirus.

On February 12th, the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, offered the same advice, given the rise of the dollar, and sparked controversy when he mentioned that “housemaids were traveling to Disneyworld”.

Mandetta stated that “common sense” is required and suggested avoiding trips to countries with internal spread of the disease, although this is not an official government recommendation. The statement was made in a press interview in which he confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in Brazil.

“If you don’t have to go to Lombardy (the region in Italy where there have been confirmed cases), why should you go to Lombardy? Do I go there to look? Will I travel around? In such a case, I prefer to travel in the Southern Hemisphere,” Mandetta said.

In the interview, Mandetta also mentioned some of the destinations that had been recommended by Guedes when discussing the exchange rate, such as Foz do Iguaçu (PR) and Cachoeira do Itapemirim (ES), a famous singer’s hometown. “All the more reason to travel within Brazil. If it’s for business, make use of all available technology,” Mandetta said.

The Ministry of Health confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in Brazil on Wednesday morning, as had been anticipated on Tuesday, but said that the measures taken for surveillance and control should remain the same as those that had already been adopted, since the country had already declared a state of public health emergency of national interest.