‘Hunger has returned’: Covid piles further misery on Brazil’s vulnerable

Many blame President Jair Bolsonaro's failure to handle the pandemic and to provide adequate support for those in need

Even before coronavirus, life was a struggle on Regeneration Street, a rubbish-strewn skid row on the north side of Rio de Janeiro.

Cadaverous crack addicts probe dumpsters for scraps of food; crestfallen down-and-outs sprawl on soiled mattresses and rugs.