AMERICA/BRAZIL - Covid-19: "We entrust ourselves to Divine Providence", writes a missionary from the State of Roraima

Monday, 20 April 2020

INTERNET

Caracarai (Agenzia Fides) - Pastoral activities in the Brazilian state of Roraima, including the celebration of mass, have been suspended since March 22 to avoid the spread of the virus. Civil authorities have ordered preventive measures since mid-March, pushing for social isolation. However, some commercial activities have reopened, albeit with precautionary measures, and the climate on the street is certainly not of total isolation: this is what Fr. Luigi Turato, a fidei donum missionary priest in Brazil, reports to Agenzia Fides. "If contamination were to arrive here with some higher numbers, the only way out will be the one that our ancestors used: to rely on Divine Providence, because the public health system does not have the conditions to deal with an emergency of this type", writes the missionary in a note sent to Fides.
Currently, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, there are 30,891 confirmed cases of Coronavirus with 1,952 deaths across the South American country.
"The communities along the river - adds Fr. Turato - have closed the access of visits, even the indigenous communities try to isolate themselves, but the situation is very complicated. Some indigenous people live in precarious conditions in the city and constantly move inland. The border with neighboring countries is open only for trade and some services. What is most worrying are the refugee camps, where Venezuelan refugees reside, in Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima, and the border itself".
Fr. Luigi continues: "We missionaries in Caracaraí, Boa Vista and Resende are doing well. The Church immediately followed the guidelines of the local government by closing the gatherings and so we are gearing up to give spiritual support electronically. We celebrate Mass live on Facebook to keep the spirit of the local community united. Even a few phone calls shorten the distances. I find it more difficult to celebrate mass without the presence of the people of the community. Furthermore, we are concerned about the many informal workers in the area, I think they are the majority and we do not know how they are surviving, even if the government has promised economic aid for a few months". (LT/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 20/4/2020)


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