Brazil’s media association said President Bolsonaro knowingly put reporters who stood disturbingly close to him at risk when he removed his face mask as he told them he has tested positive for Covid-19.
They announced the group is set to take him to court for the “criminal” act.
A staunch coronavirus skeptic, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro revealed to a group of journalists on Tuesday, July 7, that he has Coronavirus.
Bolsonaro, wearing a simple white mask, told reporters that his symptoms were not severe, and that “there is no reason to fear.”
The president asked them to take a few steps back at one point, and removed his mask to speak. “Just look at my face. I’m well, fine, thank God,” he said. He then put the mask on again.
Reacting to Bolsonaro’s action, ABI President Paulo Jeronimo de Sousa said on Wednesday, July 8: “Despite knowing he was infected with Covid-19, President Jair Bolsonaro continues to act in a criminal manner and endanger the lives of others.”
VIDEO: Brazil's Bolsonaro removes face mask after testing positive for virus.
Bolsonaro removes his face mask while talking to the media in Brasilia's Alvorada Palace, after announcing that he tested positive for COVID-19https://t.co/7wuacxt67T pic.twitter.com/hjkA79R3nb
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 8, 2020
He added that Bolsonaro broke “the isolation recommended by the doctors” and put at risk the lives of journalists “he considers being supportive” of his policies.
According to the ABI head, the President breached Article 131 of Brazil’s Criminal Code which covers transmitting a serious disease to others or acting in a way that may cause contagion. The clause, carrying a fine or a jail sentence of up to four years, will be used in ABI’s lawsuit against the president, de Sousa said.