Latin America

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro made it clear on Friday that he wants his new health minister to help protect the country’s economy as the government seeks to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

Ex-Health Minister Luiz Enrique Mandetta will be replaced by oncologist Nelson Teich.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A massive stone considered sacred by an indigenous community in Venezuela returned home Thursday resolving simmering international tension after a German artist shipped it to Berlin over two decades ago as part of a public exhibition symbolizing peace.

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Forty-four Guatemalans deported on one flight from the United States this week have tested positive for COVID-19, a Guatemalan government official with knowledge of the situation said, amid rising rejection of deportees due to virus fears.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico will begin to restrict movement between places most affected by the COVID-19 virus —mostly large cities— and places with few infections, the president said Thursday.

IO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro fired his health minister on Thursday after a series of disagreements over government efforts to contain the new coronavirus. “I just heard from the President Jair Bolsonaro the news of my dismissal from the health ministry,” Luiz Henrique Mandetta posted on his verified Twitter profile, adding that he wished success to his replacement, who is yet to be named officially. He confirmed the announcement in a press conference later.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Perhaps one of the most heated debates in Mexico during the pandemic —after disagreements about personal protective equipment and testing— is the burning issue of whether beer should be considered an “essential” item during the lockdown.

Dozens of cars on Wednesday formed a caravan in front of the public television station WIPR as protesters denounced alleged corruption in the government’s response to COVID-19.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Engineers in Colombia have developed a mechanical ventilator for COVID-19 patients that could cost as little as $2,000—one of numerous crash projects around the world aimed at helping ease a global shortage of the devices.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega reappeared Wednesday after 34 days in which he was not seen in public.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s coronavirus point-man said Wednesday there has been widespread non-compliance with orders for all non-essential businesses to close.

SÃO PAULO (AP) — After a heated confrontation with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro last month over his lackadaisical approach to the coronavirus, governors in the South American country have since pulled back, wary of losing vital federal aid in the efforts to control COVID-19.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Colombia said Tuesday that former combatants are now making face masks to respond to the new coronavirus pandemic, but COVID-19 hasn’t stopped violence against social leaders, human rights defenders and ex-fighters despite a nationwide stay-at-home order.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has announced an urgent campaign to recruit medical workers for the coronavirus pandemic, but the effort sometimes lacked coordination.

The IMF also announced country-specific estimates, including a 5.3% plunge in Brazil, the deepest one-year decline in over a century, and a 6.3% fall in Ecuador.

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s health minister said Tuesday that deportees from the United States were driving up the country’s COVID-19 caseload, adding that on one flight some 75% of the deportees tested positive for the virus.

The Dominican Republic has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Caribbean.

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala again began receiving deportation flights from the United States this week after a one-week pause prompted by three deportees testing positive for COVID-19.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Health workers briefly blocked a street in Mexico City on Monday to demand more protective gear as their hospital receives more patients suffering from COVID-19.

The deal aims to bring up oil prices after a crash brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

We are among 250 population scientists and health specialists from around the globe who have issued a stark warning to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: governments must increase COVID-19 testing in the region before it is too late.