- President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday announced he'd tested positive for COVID-19, just days after visiting the US Embassy in Brasília.
- Bolsonaro went to the embassy on Saturday for a July 4th celebration.
- Photos of the event showed the Brazilian president interacting closely with the US ambassador to Brazil. Neither were wearing masks or social distancing in the images.
- The US embassy said the ambassador has tested negative for the virus and "will remain at home in quarantine."
President Jair Bolsonaro was at the US Embassy in Brasília and closely interacting with America's top diplomat in the country just days before announcing he'd tested positive for COVID-19.
"Everyone knew that it would reach a considerable part of the population sooner or later. It was positive for me," Bolsonaro said on Tuesday of his most recent COVID-19 test. The Brazilian leader, who has repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus, had been tested for the virus four times over the past several months.
Bolsonaro went to the US Embassy in the Brazilian capital on Saturday for a July 4th celebration. Photos from the event show the Brazilian president sitting close to US ambassador to Brazil Todd Chapman.
Based on the images, Bolsonaro and others, including the ambassador, were not wearing face masks at the time.
Bolsonaro's presence at the US embassy on Saturday, and the apparent lack of social distancing and face masks, raises questions as to whether the Brazilian president exposed others — including the US ambassador.
Following Bolsonaro's announcemet, the US embassy in Brazil's official Twitter account tweeted that the ambassador and his wife "tested negative and will remain at home in quarantine." The embassy said it's "evaluating the entire team that may have been exposed to #COVID-19," adding that "the embassy and consulates continue to follow the protocols of the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]."
In a separate tweet the day before, the embassy acknowledged Chapman had a private lunch with Bolsonaro on Saturday, adding, "The ambassador has no symptoms, but he is taking precautions, will do the tests and follow the screening protocols of the [CDC]."
Bolsonaro, much like President Donald Trump, has rejected the science when it comes to COVID-19 and flouted public health recommendations.
A federal judge in Brazil recently ruled that the Brazilian president had to wear a face mask in Brasília or face a fine.
"Our lives have to go on. Jobs must be kept ... We must, yes, get back to normal," Bolsonaro said during a speech in March. "With my history as an athlete, if I were infected with the virus, I would have no reason to worry. I would feel nothing, or it would be at most just a little flu."
Brazil has the second highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world after the US.
As of Tuesday, there were over 1.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 65,000 fatalities from the virus in Brazil, per Johns Hopkins.
Next Story
I tutor the children of some of Dubai's richest people. One of them paid me $3,000 to do his homework.
John Jacob Astor IV was one of the richest men in the world when he died on the Titanic. Here's a look at his life.
A 13-year-old girl helped unearth an ancient Roman town. She's finally getting credit for it over 90 years later.
Sell-off in Indian stocks continues for the third session
Samsung Galaxy M55 Review — The quintessential Samsung experience
The ageing of nasal tissues may explain why older people are more affected by COVID-19: research
Amitabh Bachchan set to return with season 16 of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', deets inside
Top 10 places to visit in Manali in 2024
