In Brazil, 45 million residents are waiting on an emergency payment of 600 reais in compensation amid the crisis. President Jair Bolsonaro, however, assured this support can only last for so long.

Measures like social isolation and home quarantine may not be ideal for low-income barrios, favelas, or villas in the region, of whom comprise of over 113 million citizens.

For People Living in Crowded Communities, There Is No "Social Distancing"

A report published on Valor Economico shows that Brazilians and Mexicans were the least compliant to orders concerning social distancing. Based on the data, Brazil and Mexico both had deep reductions in the distance between people, -33% and 38%, respectively.

The complete list of Latin American countries analyzed in the study conducted by J. P. Morgan was Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. 

For lots of places in the region, there simply is not enough space.

In Bogota, Colombians in impoverished communities tie red rags in their windows. This endeavor in underprivileged neighborhoods was done to indicate that the households needed food. Residents clashed with the police in Ciudad Bolivar during a riot for essential resources.

Authorities in Latin American nations promised to deliver aid packages to vulnerable groups to encourage compliance to follow stay at home orders. These can only work for so long because for two of the region's largest communities in Venezuela and Brazil, posts on social media reveal how short-lived these attempts were throughout the month-long pandemic.

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Stay or Work at Home Hardly an Option

On the outskirts of Buenos Aires is an informal settlement where Fernanda Moyano lives. In a feature by Americas Quarterly, Moyano explained that her husband lost his job on the same night that Argentina President Alberto Fernandez announced a complete quarantine.

She said her husband's employer sent his dismissal through text that said, 'OK, muchachos, let's see what happens in the next few weeks.'

Fernandez acknowledged that communities like where Moyano lived could quickly become a hotspot for the COVID-19 pandemic. However, measures that were intended to help Argentinians instead led to more inconvenience. For instance, the local markets were no longer able to accept debit cards the government issued.

Some market vendors set up makeshift stalls along highways to make up for weak sales during the pandemic. In Mexico, street vendors sell face masks for as low as 5 pesos.

Others make the masks themselves by sewing together fabric. People like Angel Ricardo Meza explain that they were left with little alternatives.

"I have to earn money," he says. The only way he could afford to stay home was to make a profit.

According to a Guardian interview with a 45-year old metalworker in Brazil, he said it was alarming how there were still so many people out in his neighborhood.

"Cars are all over the place, lots of people [at the petrol station] boozing," Marcos de Oliveira said. He likened the scene to that of a party. He frequently saw scenes like this on his way home from work. Unlike high-income families, Oliveira needed to keep working to feed his family. He said, "Unfortunately, people have to work - we've got to make a living."