Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for coronavirus, Brazilian media reported on Friday.
The positive test comes after Bolsonaro’s press secretary was found to have the infection following a trip to the US.
Bolsonaro met US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida during his three-day trip to the US starting from March 7.
Earlier, a Brazilian official who met US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence just days ago tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Brazil government confirmed on Thursday that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s press secretary, Fabio Wajngarten, has tested positive for coronavirus, Xinhua reported.
Wajngarten accompanied Bolsonaro on a trip to the United States over the weekend, where he met Trump, Pence and other White House officials at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
Bolsonaro’s medical team “is adopting all the preventive measures necessary” to ensure the president and his delegation on the trip, as well as other aides, are in good health, the government said, adding that it had notified US officials about Wajngarten.
The White House said on Thursday that Trump and Pence had no plans to undergo testing.
Earlier in the day, Bolsonaro cancelled his attendance at an event in Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte state, reportedly due to concerns over the pandemic.
