This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 23, 2020, a court in Brazil ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to start wearing a face mask in public, following his consistent disregard for coronavirus containment measures.
According to the ruling, Bolsonaro's actions have shown a clear intention to break the rules imposed by the government, which require everyone to wear a face covering while venturing outside.
The ruling came as the number of COVID-19 cases in Brazil topped 1,151,000, including 52,771 deaths and 613,345 recoveries.
As of June 23, 2020, Brazil became the second country in the world after the US to cross the 50,000 mark of COVID-19 related deaths.
President Bolsonaro has been heavily criticized for his handling of the pandemic, including attending rallies, shaking hands in public, and dismissing COVID-19 as 'a little cold.'
Judge Renato Borelli ruled that failure by the head of state to comply with the order will attract a fine of up to KSh 39,000.
"The conduct of the President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, who has refused to wear a face mask in public in events and places in the Federal District, shows a clear intention to break the rules imposed by the government," the judge wrote in the decision.
