(Bloomberg) -- Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel, one of several Brazilian state leaders who have sparred with President Jair Bolsonaro over aggressive measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus, has tested positive for Covid-19.
Witzel announced the diagnosis on social media and said he will continue working at the official residence while respecting medical recommendations.
“I hadn’t felt well since Friday and I requested a test,” Witzel said in a video posted on his Twitter account on Tuesday. “I ask again that you stay at home.”
Brazil has 25,262 confirmed cases and 1,532 deaths, according to the latest count from the health ministry. Rio is one of the most affected states in the country, trailing only Sao Paulo, the epicenter of the cases.
Bolsonaro has criticized Witzel and other state governors for implementing economically painful quarantines to prevent the spread of the virus. The President’s approach has attracted international criticism for dismissing the severity of the virus, which he often calls “a flu,” and for fighting with members of his own administration who are promoting social isolation, including his health minister.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
POPULAR