Brazil’s Bolsonaro to take another coronavirus test, ‘can’t stand’ isolation

The Brazilian president tested positive for Covid-19 last week, but says he is taking hydroxychloroquine and that staying at home is ‘horrible’

Brazil is the second-worst hit country in the world, after the United States. As of Monday, 72,833 people had died out of 1.8 million confirmed cases

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speaks on a mobile phone next to an emu outside the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia on July 13, nearly a week after he tested positive for Covid-19. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:48am, 14 Jul 2020Updated: 11:50am, 14 Jul 2020

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been in quarantine nearly a week after testing positive for the new coronavirus, announced on Monday he plans to take another test as he “can’t stand” being in isolation.

The result of the test, which is scheduled for Tuesday, “should be out in a few hours, and I will wait quite anxiously because I can’t stand this routine of staying at home. It’s horrible,” Bolsonaro said in a telephone interview with CNN Brazil, from his official residence at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the far-right president has dismissed the seriousness of the epidemic and criticised containment measures ordered by governors in Brazilian states.

During his interview, Bolsonaro said that he feels “very well” and has no fever or problems breathing. He also has not lost his sense of taste, one of the most common symptoms of Covid-19.

“Tomorrow, I don’t know if the new test will confirm [the virus], but if everything is fine, I’ll go back to work. Of course, if it’s the other way around, I’ll wait a few more days,” said the 65-year-old, adding he hoped to resume his activities within a week at most.

“Otherwise everything is fine. We are working by videoconference all the time and we are doing our best not to let things accumulate,” he said.

Brazil is the second-worst hit country in the world, after the United States. As of Monday, 72,833 people had died out of 1.8 million confirmed cases.