How coronavirus broke Brazil's economic dream

Published: May 6, 2020, 6:21 p.m.

Could economy minister Paulo Guedes be the next key ally to abandon embattled President Bolsonaro? A corruption scandal has already seen the popular justice minister walk away. Meanwhile Bolsonaro fired his health minister as he seeks to reverse his own government's lockdown on the economy. With the official number of Covid 19 cases in the country surpassing 100,000, we hear the frustration of a doctor on the frontline. As for the economy minister, the BBC's South America business correspondent Daniel Gallas explains how this proponent of spending cuts and privatisation is coming to terms with a hugely expensive income support programme backed by Bolsonaro. Plus economist Monica de Bolle of the Peterson Institute explains why she fears that despite these measures, her country could be on the verge of a depression. Presenter: Manuela Saragosa Producer: Laurence Knight (Photo: People using protective masks wait in line outside a Caixa Economica Federal bank branch in Sao Goncalo, Brazil, to receive urgent government benefit amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Getty Images)