Bolsonaro Covid-19 test soap-opera reaches Supreme Court

Daily newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo has appealed to the Supreme Court after the Superior Court of Justice, the country’s second-highest judicial body, allowed President Jair Bolsonaro to keep his Covid-19 test results private. Lower courts had ordered that Mr. Bolsonaro publish the outcome of his exams, ruling that the government must be transparent regarding the health of the head of state. Moreover, the decision said Mr. Bolsonaro had continuously broken with social isolation guidelines and made contact with his supporters.

Jair Bolsonaro was tested twice for Covid-19 on March 12 and 17. He claims both tests came back negative, but has refused to disclose the results, calling it a “private matter.” At least 24 government officials have contracted the novel coronavirus, many of whom accompanied the president on a trip to Florida two months ago.

Mr. Bolsonaro has said that if he were to catch the virus, he would not feel symptoms, thanks to his “past as an athlete.” His son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, was even quoted by Fox News as confirming the president had tested positive for Covid-19 — but later denied the information live on television.

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