A Brazilian judge has given President Jair Bolsonaro until Saturday to release the results of all tests he took for Covid-19.
The far-right leader claims he tested negative for the virus but has fought an attempt by the Estado de S.Paulo newspaper to obtain his medical exams under freedom-of-information legislation, saying this violates his right to privacy.
In ordering the handing over of the results, judge Ana Lúcia Petri Betto cited “the fundamental right of access to information”. She set a fine of 5,000 reais a day (€825) should the president fail to comply with the order. She issued the ruling on Thursday after the president’s health team sent the court a letter stating Mr Bolsonaro had tested negative instead of the full medical reports she had demanded.
Having consistently insisted he had not caught the virus, in a radio interview this week the president admitted he might have been infected. “I might have caught this virus in the past, maybe, maybe, and not felt anything,” he said. Fox News reported his original test returned positive, a report swiftly contradicted by Mr Bolsonaro. The US channel later said the source for its report was the president’s own son, Eduardo.
Protocols violated
The president was tested after more than 20 people who travelled with him to the United States in March were later confirmed to have caught coronavirus. Since the contagion among his team was detected, the president has consistently violated self-isolation protocols for those who have been in contact with people infected, mingling with crowds and shaking hands.
Since coronavirus started spreading in Brazil Mr Bolsonaro has prioritised the need to defend jobs over efforts to combat its spread.
As a result he has waged a relentless campaign against his own administration’s efforts to try to contain the virus.
Last month he fired his health minister because of his opposition to relaxing quarantine measures. In comments to mark May Day, he said: “I would like everyone to get back to work.” But he said the decision rested with the governors and mayors with whom he has been in open conflict because of their efforts to contain the virus.
In a blow to his efforts to get the economy back to normal, Mr Bolsonaro's new health minister Nelson Teich said the country could soon register 1,000 deaths a day, and with the curve still rising "nobody is thinking of flexibilising anything".
More than 6,000 people are confirmed to have died of Covid-19 in Brazil but public-health specialists believe the true number is much higher.
Several regions have reported a surge in deaths especially from respiratory illnesses. But systematic failures in testing mean many of these victims are not tested for the virus.
When asked this week about the country’s mounting death toll, Mr Bolsonaro responded by saying: “So what? I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?”
