Bolsonaro appeals decision to force him to disclose Covid-19 test results

The Solicitor General’s Office has appealed a decision that forced President Jair Bolsonaro to disclose his Covid-19 test results. Newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo had filed a lawsuit based on Brazil’s Access to Information Act, claiming that by withholding his results, the president is concealing information that is in the public interest. The government’s lawyers, however, argue that this information was already disclosed in a medical report issued on March 18 — even if the actual test results were never made public.

The president’s office declared that Mr. Bolsonaro had tested negative for Covid-19 on two separate occasions. The president said that he would feel “violated” if he were forced to disclose his results. At least 23 people who were a part of the president’s entourage on a trip to the U.S. in early March subsequently contracted the coronavirus.

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