For failing to wear a face mask, and provoking huge crowds at a motorcycle rally of supporters in Sao Paulo state, Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro was fined $100 on Saturday.
Officials claim the president violated Covid-19 containment measures, and cannot go unpunished.
State officials also revealed that together with the president, they had fined a congressman’s son, Eduardo, and Infrastructure Minister Tarcisio Gomes for failing to wear masks and not observing social distancing measures at the rally.
President Bolsonaro had led an “Accelerate for Christ” rally in Sao Paulo, where thousands of roaring motorcycles attended, the president wore an open-faced helmet and no mask, hence violating the state health regulations.
President Jair Bolsonaro who seeks re-election next year has been holding similar rallies across the country, it has been said the president defied a prior warning from Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, his political rival, who said the president would be fined if he failed to observe state regulations.
The Brazilian president had in the past repeatedly clashed with Doria and other governors over measures against Covid-19, a virus that has claimed nearly 485,000 lives in Brazil, making Brazil second only to the United States in the number of recorded deaths.
Bolsonaro has regularly criticized stay-at-home measures and face masks, he has however insisted on touting medications such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, despite studies showing they are ineffective against Covid-19.
One time, while addressing a giant crowd of flag-waving supporters, the president renewed his comments against face masks, saying he planned to order mask requirements to be lifted for people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
“Anyone who’s against that doesn’t believe in science. There’s no way a vaccinated person can transmit the virus,” he said.
Public health officials have generally urged people to continue wearing masks in risky situations.
Because there is little scientific consensus yet on whether vaccinated individuals are completely immune to the virus.
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