Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus

Bolsonaro announced on live television that his latest test results have come back positive

Moneycontrol News

July 07, 2020 / 21:26 IST

Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil | “To his base, he can simply do no wrong. It’s the rest of Brazil, and the world, that is left to count the cost,” writes Dan Stewart, Times International editor. (Image: Reuters)

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, who has drawn a lot of flak for downplaying the coronavirus pandemic-led health crisis time and again, has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.

According to a report by The Guardian, Bolsonaro announced on live television that his latest test results have come back positive. He took off his mask and said "I'm fine" while making the announcement on July 6.

In the interview broadcast on state-run TV Brasil, Bolsonaro reportedly said he began feeling ill on July 5 and has been taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug with unproven effectiveness against COVID-19.

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Bolsonaro has been accused of downplaying the coronavirus infection as nothing more than a "little flu" and he has also told Brazilians to ignore quarantine restrictions. His handling of the situation and his dismissal of the severity of the public health crisis in light of the pandemic have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum in Brazil as well as globally. Some have even accused him of using the crisis to undermine democratic institutions.

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