Brazil Senate to Probe Jair Bolsonaro’s Handling Of COVID-19 Crisis

Brazil's Senate has started an investigation into President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Known locally by its Portuguese acronym CPI, the congressional investigation can lead to a number of actions, including a referral of possible wrongdoing to law enforcement, U.S. News reported.

Senate leader Rodrigo Pacheco said the inquiry on handling the pandemic would also include an investigation into how the federal resources were distributed to the country.

The probe came after Brazil's Supreme Court authorized the opening of the Senate inquiry on the government's handling of the pandemic.

According to DW, Supreme Court Justice Luis Roberto Barroso issued the order after the whole court upheld local officials' authority to stop churches from opening.

Jair Bolsonaro has been a frequent critic of the Supreme Court for supporting the decision of local authorities in imposing restrictions during the pandemic. The Brazilian president also attended protests against the country's highest court.

Brazil Amid the Pandemic

Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the pandemic's threat while refusing to impose lockdowns as the economic impact would allegedly do more harm than the virus itself.

Brazil has the second highest death toll worldwide from COVID-19. Experts cautioned that a current surge in cases might not peak for several weeks, BBC reported.

Bolsonaro has reportedly called the deadly COVID-19 "just a little flu." He also called state governors and mayors who implemented lockdowns in their respective areas "tyrants."

The president has also cast doubts on the vaccines' efficacy and safety, saying that he would not get vaccinated. Meanwhile, the health care system of Brazil is reportedly crumbling slowly.

"The country is in a nationwide hospital collapse right now - it's the first time in history the public health system has collapsed," Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, a Brazilian professor of neuroscience at Duke University, told the BBC.

The city's hospitals reportedly ran out of oxygen last January, which led the federal government to procure supplies from across the country.

On top of that, a Brazil coronavirus variant that emerged in the Amazon late last year has become a concern because it is thought to be much more contagious, Aljazeera reported.

Microbiologist Natalia Pasternak noted that fears over the said variant are justified because they are more contagious and spread rapidly across Brazil. Pasternak added that the pandemic is out of control in the country right now, AFP News reported.

Last month, Brazil's death toll reached 66,500, double compared to the country's previous deadliest month in July 2020.

In 2020, a group of unions representing Brazilian health workers called on the International Criminal Court to investigate Bolsonaro's government for crimes against humanity for its way of handling the pandemic.

Some protesters had accused Jair Bolsonaro of genocide and asked him to resign. The office of Brazil's solicitor-general declined to comment regarding the matter. The said office is responsible for defending Jair Bolsonaro and the health ministry.

WATCH: Brazil Senate Launches Jair Bolsonaro COVID-19 Probe - From Reuters