Latin America’s economic plight is getting worse

IN SãO PAULO 91% of intensive-care beds in hospitals are occupied even as cases of covid-19 soar. The city has declared a four-day public holiday to reduce travel. In poorer parts of Brazil, such as Fortaleza and Manaus, hospitals are even fuller. Much the same goes for Peru and Mexico. In Chile, which seemed to have been controlling the coronavirus, a sharp rise in cases and deaths saw the government lock down greater Santiago and left the health minister “intensely worried”. Faced with a record rise in cases this week, Argentina extended its lockdown. As the pandemic slows in Europe, it is surging in the Americas.