This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
On July 3, 2020, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro used his veto power to remove articles from a law requiring the wearing of face masks in public places, including shops and churches.
Face coverings are already mandatory in several states, such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but this was the first such law on a national level.
The law, which was passed by the Chamber of Deputies, stipulated that masks must be worn in “commercial and industrial establishments, religious temples, teaching premises and also closed places where people are gathering.”
Brazil is the second worst-hit country in the world in the pandemic, with more than 61,000 deaths and 1.5 million cases.
Since the beginning of the virus outbreak, Bolsonaro has minimized the risks of what he initially called “a little flu” and flouted social distancing rules and containment measures, such as wearing a mask in public.
