Brazil: Covid-19 Hits Presidential Headquarters

Brazilian politicians were not exempt from the wave of contagion that is sweeping through the country, already recording more than 2.8 million cases of COVID-19 and surpassing 97,000 deaths.

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Thereby, the Palacio del Planalto (seat of the Government) registered more than 70 cases of coronavirus in less than a month, a period in which the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive, coinciding with the resurgence of the pandemic in Brasilia, the state's capital.

Bolsonaro returned to work on July 27, after almost three weeks of quarantine. On Tuesday, the president led a meeting of the Governing Council with the board of ministers in which the Chief of Staff, General Walter Souza Braga, was not present after being diagnosed with Covid-19.

Other members of Bolsonaro's inner circle also tested positive in recent days with COVID-19 are Ministers Augusto Heleno (Institutional Security), Milton Ribeiro (Education), Bento Albuquerque (Mines & Energy), Onyx Lorenzoni (Citizenship), Marcos Pontes (Science and Technology) and Wagner Rosario (Federal Comptroller General).

Behind the United States, Brazil is the second world's country more affected by the pandemic. However, Bolsonaro, even though he was infected, along with his wife, continues to deny the relevance of the preventive measures recommended by epidemiologists and advocated keeping the economy open.

Consistent with his lack of concern for workers' health, the former army Capitan recently vetoed a bill that provided financial aid for health professionals who are unable to work because they are infected with the new coronavirus.

As a sign of his irresponsibility due to de management of the pandemic, Bolsonaro also ordered the reopening of Brazil's borders to foreign visitors arriving by plane.