Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who is often called the 'Tropical Trump', attended a pro-government rally on Sunday. Maintaining his track record of downplaying the threat of novel coronavirus, he did not wear a face mask or practice social distancing. He was hailed at the Sunday's rally and was called a "Legend".
His reception was in stark contrast to the one he got during the Saturday's outing, when angry Brazilians called him "assassino" i.e. 'killer'. The tropical nation has emerged as the new epicenter of Covid-19 and has reported the second-highest number of cases in the world.
On Sunday, Bolsonaro attended a pro-government rally outside the presidential palace in capital Brasilia. Although he arrived wearing a white surgical mask, he soon took them off. In video clips posted online, he could be seen greeting his supporters without wearing a mask or following social distancing. At one point, he hoisted a boy on his shoulders, AFP reported.
His flag-bearing supporters hailed him, calling him a "Legend" and shouting "The people support you, Bolsonaro!" Some of his supporters wore masks but none practiced social distancing.
Bolsonaro called a "killer"
The warm reception he received at Sunday's rally was poles apart from that during his Saturday outing. As he went on the streets of capital Brasilia for coke and hotdog, angry residents banged pots and pans as a sign of protest. He was called a killer, garbage and a fascist. A woman could be heard shouting "Get to work, you bum!"
However, among the crowd were some of his supporters who shouted his nickname "Mito", i.e. 'legend', Guardian reported. A black-colored mask could be seen at his chin and he did not follow social distancing norms, which are important to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.
Brazil new Epicenter of Novel coronavirus
With 365,213 cases and 22,746 fatalities, the Latin American nation has emerged as the new epicenter of the novel coronavirus. It has the second-highest caseload in the world. Interestingly, the Brazilian President has often downplayed its threats, calling it a "little flu".
On Sunday, the United States placed travel restrictions on Brazil. Similar restrictions are already in effect on several other regions such as China, Europe, the United Kingdom and Iran, Associated Press reported. Interestingly, no such restrictions have been placed on Russia, which has the third-highest number of COVID cases.
