Brazil has deployed thousands of soldiers to protect the Amazon rainforest, taking precautions to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus, as the government mounts an early response to surging deforestation ahead of the high season for forest fires. The armed forces, alongside environmental officials, police and other government agencies, began with an operation in a national forest in Rondonia state, near the Bolivian border, Vice President Hamilton Mourao said at a news conference. Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon surged 55% in the first four months of the year compared with the same period of 2019, according to government data released on Friday. The destruction hit an 11-year high last year, spurring outcry that Brazil was not doing enough to protect the world's largest rainforest.