After months of fading down the risk of the corona virus that has so far killed over 65,000 Brazilians, it was now the president's turn to be infected. Bolsonaro had felt bad over the weekend with fatigue, muscle pain and fever but emphasized in live broadcast that he was now feeling much better.
Bolsonaro is forced to isolate himself
Bolsonaro's positive test results are the latest chapter in a Brazilian corona crisis that never seems to end. The president had an intense agenda over the weekend where he met 35 holders of power, including the US ambassador, with no social distance measures. As a result, there is growing concern that more heavy names have been infected.
Now Bolsonaro has isolated himself and will be forced to rule the country through video calls from his home office in the coming weeks, which completely violates a leadership style that has resulted in street demonstrations and hugs with supporters on the streets. The president of Brazil is 65 years old and therefore belongs to the risk group according to the country's authorities. But Bolsonaro dismissed covid-19 as "a little cold" during the year and also said he would do well if he was infected thanks to his good physique as a former athlete.
Injury among the opponents
The fact that Bolsonaro, who has made himself known to take lightly on the corona virus and opposed preventive measures such as quarantine, social distancing and the use of mouthguards - arguing that it is affecting the economy too much - is now itself infected, causing great harm among the president's opponents.
But it is not certain that Bolsonaro's infection will weaken him politically. If he recovers quickly, it will be used as "proof" of his argument that the corona virus is not actually that dangerous. And the president has already stated that he is taking the malaria drug chloroquine, which he has long prescribed for the entire Brazilian population despite lack of scientific support and where some experts warn of serious side effects.
Put the economy first
Recent forecasts suggest that Brazil will suffer less from the economic recession in the wake of the pandemic than its Latin American neighbors. That's good news for Bolsonaro, who has always said that he puts people's jobs and finances first. And the economic downturn that inevitably awaits, the president will surely blame the quarantine measures of the governors and the mayors.
As the political power struggle rolls on, the corona virus continues to harvest human lives in Brazil. And the country has now been without regular health ministers for over 50 days. After two health ministers were forced away shortly after a dispute with Bolsonaro, it is the military with no experience of health care dealing with the worst pandemic in modern times.