Brazil's President flouts social distancing norms yet again, greets crowd without mask

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reportedly attended a pro-government rally on May 25 in the capital Brasilia where he was spotted flouting the health safety measure as he greeted the crowd without a protective mask. Bolsonaro’s act was criticized by a cabinet minister and two conservative lawmakers for ignoring the coronavirus warnings. 

As per a video that emerged online, which was shot by the Brazilian presidency, Bolsonaro hit the streets surrounded by his security team who were seen wearing protective masks while he ditched one. Not just that, he was seen defying the social distancing measures as he hoisted a young boy from the crowd onto his shoulders, waving to the supporters who cheered. Although Brazil’s president was seen heading out wearing a white mask as he arrived at the event, soon, as he got closer to the crowd, he removed the mask and did not adhere to the 2 meters apart protocol.  

The Chief Minister of the Cabinet of Institutional Security, General Augusto Heleno, can also be heard saying, "We will win this war. This is a calculated risk and everything will work out," in the live video. With the second-biggest caseload in the world, after the United States, Brazil’s count shot up to 365,213 as of May 25, with over 1,595 cases in a single day in the past 24 hours, as 22,746 have died from the disease so far, according to a tally. 

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Cheering, embracing, entering the crowd 

Amid rising case toll, Bolsonaro was seen greeting the cheering crowd, shaking hands and embracing supporters having downplayed the impact of the virus earlier on several occasions. Further, it could be seen that he smiled and cherished the flag-waving supporters who shouted “Legend!” and “The people support you, Bolsonaro!”, as can be seen in the video. 

Earlier, in a drastic step, Bolsonaro fired his health minister after a series of disagreements over government efforts to contain the new coronavirus. The news of dismissal came as Luiz Henrique Mandetta, also a doctor, posted on his verified Twitter profile that President Jair Bolsonaro had fired him. The health minister had garnered popular support for his pandemic response that included the promotion of broad isolation measures enacted by state governors. Bolsonaro, for his part, repeatedly characterized the virus as a “little flu.” 

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