Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro says he has tested positive for COVID-19 after months of downplaying its severity. He confirmed the test results while wearing a mask and speaking to reporters in capital Brasilia.
“I’m well, normal. I even want to take a walk around here, but I can’t due to medical recommendations,” Bolsonaro said.
The president has often appeared in public to shake hands with supporters and mingle with crowds, at times without a mask. He has said his history as an athlete would protect him from the virus, and it would be nothing more than a “little flu” were he to contract it.
Bolsonaro tested negative three times in March after meeting with US President Donald Trump in Florida. Multiple members of his delegation to the US were later reported to be infected with the virus.
