Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who recently became a hot topic for his persistent hiccups, is being criticized for ignoring quarantine rules by walking around the hospital without a mask while he was hospitalized after being diagnosed with intestinal obstruction.
President Bolsonaro, who is hospitalized at Villa Nova Star Hospital in downtown São Paulo, Brazil on the 16th (local time) posted a picture of himself walking around the hospital corridor without a mask while announcing his current situation through social media.
Netizens soon raised criticism that it violated the new Corona 19 quarantine rules.
In a situation where all hospitals are obliged to wear masks and sanitize hands, President Bolsonaro's failure to follow quarantine rules could put other patients at risk of COVID-19.
The hospital said in a statement that Bolsonaro had been tested for COVID-19 before being hospitalized and that quarantine measures were in place at the facility.
"Villa Nova Star Hospital strictly complies with the law," the hospital said. "All inpatients, including the president, are tested for COVID-19, and all areas, including emergency rooms and general wards, are isolated."
President Bolsonaro was transferred to Villa Nova Star Hospital after being diagnosed with intestinal obstruction at the Brasilia Military Hospital on the 14th after suffering from hiccups that did not stop for more than 10 days.
President Bolsonaro was stabbed in the stomach by a knife wielded during a campaign rally in 2018, and has undergone six surgeries in the meantime.
Currently, it is known that Bolsonaro's condition is improving to a satisfactory degree, but the timing of his discharge is difficult to predict.
(Photo = Yonhap News)