Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has rejected a law requiring the use of face masks in public places, even when the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country exceeded 1.5 million.
The Latin American country has the second largest outbreak in the world after the United States. The new virus has now killed more than 61,000 people across Brazil.
But Bolsonaro on Friday used his veto power to dilute a law aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. The law requires masks in public spaces, but the president removed the provisions that mandate covering shops and churches.
One of the original articles stipulated that the masks should be used in “commercial and industrial establishments, religious temples, teaching premises and also closed places where people gather.”
A woman passing a graffiti of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and a person representing the coronavirus pulling a rope against health workers in Sao Paulo, Brazil; graffiti says “Whose side are you on?” [File: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]
However, Bolsonaro alleged that the article was unconstitutional and said that “it could possibly violate the home” when referring to closed places where business and meetings take place.
The Chamber of Deputies insisted that this clause referred to places that are “accessible to the public” and not to homes, which are protected by the constitution.
Bolsonaro also vetoed items that require stores and businesses to provide masks to staff and that public authorities distribute masks to “economically vulnerable people.”
Congress must now study the president’s vetoes and decide whether to uphold or reverse them.
‘An announced tragedy’
Since the start of the virus outbreak, Bolsonaro has downplayed the risks of what he initially called “a little flu.” Their opposition to the blockades and the failure to comply with measures aimed at stifling the spread of the virus has drawn a great deal of criticism from some.
And for months, it has lobbied governors to reverse closure measures and reopen the economy. The grim new milestone of 1.5 million cases came as big cities reopened bars, restaurants, and gyms, raising fears that infections will continue to rise.
In Rio de Janeiro, crowds gathered to drink on the sidewalk of an upscale beachside neighborhood on Thursday night, the city’s first nightclubs were allowed to reopen.
Images of the spree in Leblon, where few wore face masks and people huddled together, went viral on social media, sparking condemnation and concern.
“An announced tragedy,” David Miranda, a federal congressman from Rio, wrote on Twitter about an image of the crowded sidewalk. He criticized the mayor of the city, Marcelo Crivella.
“Crivella’s decision to open the doors of business will have a high cost,” he added.
Crivella’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In Rio alone, more than 6,600 people have died from COVID-19 in the past four months. Only 14 countries in the world have a higher death toll than the city. Intensive care units in public hospitals have a capacity of 70 percent.
Sao Paulo, the largest and most affected city in Brazil, is expected to open bars and restaurants next week.
Protesters hold posters during a demonstration against President Jair Bolsonaro and Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel amid the coronavirus pandemic on Copacabana beach on June 28, 2020, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [File: Andre Coelho/Getty Images]
.
