Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, on Friday again ignored some of the safety measures recommended for preventing the spread of Covid-19, shaking hands with supporters during a visit to the southern city of Bage, local media reported.
Bolsonaro was visiting the city six days after he had announced his recovery from Covid-19 in the country with the world’s second-largest number of infections and deaths from the virus.
The President wore a face mask, but allowed supporters to throng around him on arrival, according to news portal G1.
He displayed a box of the drug hydroxychloroquine, which he has said he took for his Covid-19 infection, though there is little scientific proof of its effectiveness.
Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the severity of the pandemic, maintained during his two-week infection that he was in good health.
But on Thursday, he said he had taken a blood test and “felt a little weak” the previous day.
He also said he was on antibiotics for “a bit of infection” and could have “mould” in a lung.
Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle, on Thursday, also tested positive for Covid-19. The president initially called the pandemic “the little flu” and has advocated keeping the economy open.
After he received a positive test result for the disease on July 7, Bolsonaro worked from his residence but was also seen moving around the area and talking to people without a face mask.
During a visit to the north-east on Thursday, he faced a crowd without a mask.
Brazil has confirmed more than 2.6 million novel coronavirus infections and over 91,000 deaths, coming second only to the United States.