Bless you
New York / Brasília (dpa) – After a positive corona test by the Brazilian Minister of Health at the UN general debate in New York, the country’s delegation goes into isolation, according to the United Nations.
“The member state has confirmed that the entire delegation has decided to quarantine itself for 14 days,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday when asked.
Minister Marcelo Queiroga visited the United Nations general debate with President Jair Bolsonaro in New York on Tuesday and was also at the UN headquarters on the East River. A member of the delegation had previously tested positive. According to consistent Brazilian media reports, Bolsonaro arrived in Brazil on Wednesday, but Queiroga is still in New York.
It initially remained unclear whether Bolsonaro, who played down the corona, will also go into quarantine – there was no answer to a corresponding dpa request. The health authority in Brasília had also recommended a 14-day quarantine for the Brazilian delegation. Bolsonaro converted an attendance appointment into a video call on Wednesday.
It was also not clear how many members of the delegation stayed in New York, how many had left and whether in fact all of them followed the isolation. According to its own statements, the UN is trying to follow up the delegation’s contacts with other diplomats, UN employees and heads of state and government. At first it was not clear whether there would be other cases of infection.
The right-wing populist Bolsonaro played down the corona virus from the start and repeatedly speaks out against the use of masks and other containment measures. On Tuesday, at the start of the UN general debate in New York, he caused astonishment with statements about his approach to the pandemic. For example, Bolsonaro praised the preventive use of drugs whose effectiveness against the coronavirus has not been proven. He has emphasized several times that he has not yet been vaccinated against Corona himself.
Even before the general debate, the American hosts had expressed concern that state guests and their delegations from more than 100 countries in New York could spread the virus. The city of New York also wanted to enforce compulsory vaccination, which UN Secretary General António Guterres rejected on the grounds that he could not refuse entry to unvaccinated UN members.
Queiroga, who is vaccinated with at least one dose, tweeted photos in the past few days with Bolsonaro, his wife Michele and representatives of investment funds, among others. He also had a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who in turn met US President Joe Biden. Johnson, who is fully vaccinated, did not draw any direct consequences. “There are Covid measures that the Prime Minister has adhered to,” said Downing Street on Wednesday.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210922-99-320189 / 2
– .
