BUENOS AIRES (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2020) Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose recovery from COVID-19 counts mere days, has taken off his face mask during a public encounter in what has already become a signature demonstration of attitude toward coronavirus precautions, media in Brazil reported on Thursday.
According to the G1 broadcaster, Bolsonaro had a meeting with political supporters in the northeastern state of Piaui, where masks are mandatory. The video footage shows how he saddles a horse upon arrival, takes off his mask and waves his hat to the crows, accompanied by cheering.
In Piaui, non-compliance with the mask requirement is punishable by a fine ranging from 500-1,000 reais ($100-200).
This was the Brazilian president's first official working visit after the recovery from COVID-19, announced this past Monday.
Bolsonaro, an ardent coronavirus skeptic with ostentatious disregard for common public health safety provisions, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on July 7 and subsequently quarantined in the presidential palace in Brasilia. During the quarantine, he several times received journalists and political supporters and never failed to remove the mask during it.
Brazil is now the world's second worst affected country to the United States, with more than 2.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 88,000 related deaths, according to the latest situation report by the World Health Organization.
