BRASÍLIA — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said
on Monday that he will ask his health minister to set a date to end the use of
face masks as a means of reducing transmission of
COVID-19 in Brazil.
اضافة اعلان
Masks have become a political issue in Brazil, with Bolsonaro
long ranting against their use and frequently refusing to wear one in public
despite a legal requirement to do so.
In the radio interview, the president argued that with much
of the population already vaccinated or having caught the virus, masks are not
needed.
But epidemiologists say it is too early for such a move,
especially due to the rise of the Delta variant in Brazil.
Although nearly 60
percent of Brazil's population have received their first dose, only 25 percent
are fully vaccinated.
Bolsonaro said he had also commissioned a study into the use
of mask wearing with a view to recommending an end to their widespread use.
At over 570,000, Brazil has the world's second highest
coronavirus death toll behind only the United States, propelled — according to
epidemiologists — by a lack of coordinated national social distancing measures.
Bolsonaro said he hoped a date for ending the widespread use
of masks could be set later on Monday.
Any such move could prove to be largely moot, however, with
states and municipalities free to set their own COVID-19 restrictions in
Brazil.
Any federal government position on the matter would likely only
function as a guideline, though it would be considered a victory by Bolsonaro's
far-right base.
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