Brasilia, April 20: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro joined an anti-quarantine rally organised by his protesters in Brasilia, the country's capital, on Sunday. The Brazilian head of state was seen at the rally without a face mask, even as several Governors and local governments across the nation have pushed for strict social distancing measures. Brazil Health Minister Sacked by Prez Bolsonaro Amid COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the course of his speech, Bolsonaro was seen coughing multiple times. In an impassioned address to the crowd, the Brazilian President accused his political rivals in the provincial governments of taking "ill-sighted measures" which would wreck the economy.

Bolsonaro accused the local governments of exaggerating the threat posed by coronavirus. He told the crowd that more lives would be devastated by the economic fallout of the lockdown, rather than the virus itself.

Watch Jair Bolsonaro Coughing During His Speech

The rally was organised by Bolsonaro supporters to exert pressure on the provincial governments and local administrations to uplift the lockdown. The President claimed that had he been in power, no such social isolation measures would had been forced upon the people.

“(Everyone must) do whatever is necessary for the country to have the prominent place it deserves. We will not negotiate anything," Bolsonaro was quoted as saying by CNN. At the rally, he also introduced his new Health Minister Nelson Teich.

Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who preceded Teich, was fired by Bolsonaro on Thursday after weeks of disagreement over the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Even as the President is in the denial mode, Brazil has emerged as the worst-affected nation in Latin America with around 39,000 cases and over 2,600 deaths so far.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 20, 2020 03:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).