SAO PAULO (AP) — The withdrawal of generous pandemic welfare payments is fueling a rapid rise in poverty in Brazil. The government limited socioeconomic turmoil in 2020 with one of the world’s most generous welfare programs. Now that flow of money has been limited, leaving Brazilians exposed to soaring food prices and a still-worsening job market. And the strain comes at a time when there is no near-term hope of mass vaccination to safeguard the labor force. The government failed to anticipate the brutal COVID-19 tsunami that materialized in January. Welfare resumed in April, but for roughly two-thirds as many people. They are also receiving less than half the previous monthly amounts.
