Video and photos show Bolsonaro defied health guidelines before testing positive for the coronavirus

For months, even as the coronavirus pandemic grew into a debilitating national crisis, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro did everything he could to downplay it. He called on people to return to normal. He waded into crowds of supporters. He repeatedly described it as nothing more than a little flu. Now Brazil is experiencing the world’s second-worst coronavirus outbreak — with 1.8 million infected and 70,000 dead — and one of the latest people to test positive for covid-19 is Bolsonaro himself.

The Washington Post analyzed hundreds of videos and photos of Bolsonaro to retrace his steps in the two weeks before he first reported symptoms on July 5. The visual evidence shows that Bolsonaro not only met with far more people than his official schedule suggests, but that he routinely flouted public health guidelines. He at times wore a mask and maintained a distance of six feet from others. But just as frequently, he met with people without a mask, shook hands and even hugged supporters.

2:18 – June 23: A judge orders Bolsonaro to wear a mask when in public spaces in Brasilia and the surrounding federal district.
4:10 – June 27: Bolsonaro visited the town of Araguari in the state of Minas Gerais. Several photos and videos from the visit show him without a mask interacting with crowds.
5:53 – July 3: One hundred and eight Planalto Palace employees tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Brazil’s General Secretariat.
6:33 – July 4: Bolsonaro attended a July 4 party at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Photos show the two men unmasked, standing shoulder to shoulder.
7:05 – July 7: Bolsonaro held a small news conference to tell the gathered reporters, clustered nearby, that he’d tested positive for the coronavirus. And then he took off his mask.

Bolsonaro is now isolated, but how he got to this point is revealed in the weeks before.


In This Story: Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in both South America and Latin America.

Its capital is Brasília, and its most populous city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states and the Federal District. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas, as well as the most populous Roman Catholic-majority country.

Its Amazon basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. Brazil is classified as an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank and a newly industrialized country.

2 Recent Items: Brazil

Chinese fm wang yi meets with celso amorim, advisor to brazilian president 1

Chinese FM Wang Yi meets with Celso Amorim, advisor to Brazilian president

Call from the Amazon: World needs to rethink the concept of ‘economy’

In This Story: COVID-19

Covid-19 is the official WHO name given to the novel coronavirus which broke out in late 2019 and began to spread in the early months of 2020.

Symptoms of coronavirus

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

  • a persistent new cough (non productive, dry)
  • a high temperature (e.g. head feels warm to the touch)
  • shortness of breath (if this is abnormal for the individual, or increased)

Latest News about Covid-19

Below are stories from around the globe related to the 2020 outbreak of novel Coronavirus – since the WHO gave the Covid-19 naming. Most recent items are posted nearest the top.

5 Recent Items: COVID-19

Global National: Jan. 19, 2024 | Health data shows influenza, COVID-19 cases decreasing in Canada

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500 hit record highs as tech stocks soar | January 19, 2024

Stock market today: Stocks climb with techs ready to roar | January 19, 2023

Dr Anthony Fauci ‘became part of the problem’ when it came to the spread of Covid misinformation

WEF summit: Canada warns of future supply shocks amid global instability

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.