Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro Remains Defiant On COVID-19 And The Environment At The U.N.

Enlarge this image

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro pulls off his protective face mask to address the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021.

Eduardo Munoz/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Eduardo Munoz/AP

Politics
Biden Tells The U.N. The U.S. Is Embarking On An Era Of ‘Relentless’ Diplomacy

Bolsonaro backs unproven COVID treatments in speech

Throughout the pandemic, Brazil was frequently one of the countries with the highest number of infections, second only to the U.S. for some time. According to Johns Hopkins University’s global COVID-19 tracker, Brazil has suffered 591,440 deaths from the virus as of early Wednesday morning.

Enlarge this image

A view of the COVID-19 intensive Care Unit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on May 27, 2021.

Fabio Teixeira/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Fabio Teixeira/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Coronavirus Live Updates
Brazil’s Bolsonaro Is Accused Of Crime Against Humanity Over Coronavirus ‘Neglect’

But during Bolsonaro’s speech to the U.N. this week, he even went so far as to recommend unproven and ineffective coronavirus treatments.

«From the very beginning, in my country, I warned that we had two problems to solve, the virus and joblessness, and that both issues had to be addressed simultaneously and with the same sense of responsibility, he said.

Bolsonaro said the Brazilian media had just «politicized the virus, and caused panic.

«Under the mottos ‘stay at home’ and ‘we will deal with the economy later on’, they almost brought about social chaos to the country, he said. «But our administration in a bold step put in place several economic measures that prevented a greater evil.

Bolsonaro said he didn’t understand why many countries and the media rejected unproven and ineffective coronavirus treatments, saying that he had taken those drugs himself after becoming infected.

«History and science will know how to hold everyone to account, he added.

There is a serious risk of COVID’s spread among world leaders

Another of Bolsonaro’s ministers shared a photo of the delegation eating a slice of pizza outside on the sidewalk of New York City.

In a city often celebrated for its restaurants, it’s unusual to find a world leader eating a slice on the go. But for an unvaccinated Bolsonaro and his entourage, they will be limited in their dining options given the city’s requirement that indoor diners be vaccinated.

Enlarge this image

A United Nations employee cleans the microphones at the podium after Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro spoke and before the start of President Joe Biden’s address during the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, at United Nations headquarters in New York.

Eduardo Munoz/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Eduardo Munoz/AP

Enlarge this image

Even with a decree banning fires in all Brazilian territory for 120 days on August 21, 2020, members of the fire brigade of the Brazilian Environment Institute (Ibama) fight fires in a farm near the city of Novo Progresso, in the south of the state of Pará.

Ernesto Carriço/NurPhoto via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Ernesto Carriço/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Environment
Parts Of The Amazon Rainforest Are Now Releasing More Carbon Than They Absorb

«This is simply not true – it’s a lie, Astrini said of Bolsonaro’s claim that 84% of the Amazon rainforest was intact. «Somebody cooks up these numbers and the president repeats them.

Astrini said the only thing that could lead to improvement in Brazil, is if Bolsonaro resigned.