-For months, as the world's second-worst coronavirus
outbreak devastated Brazil,
President Jair Bolsonaro dismissed the threat.
-In my particular case, with my athletic history,
if I were infected with the virus,
I would have no reason to worry.
-Now tens of thousands of Brazilians
are dead, more than 1.
7 million infected,
and Brazil is trapped in an escalating disaster
that critics blame on Bolsonaro's frequent
and highly public disregard for the health policies.
This week, he tested positive for COVID-19.
The Washington Post analyzed hundreds of videos
and photos of Bolsonaro
to retrace his steps in the two weeks
before he first reported symptoms on July 5th.
According to Bolsonaro's schedule and local news reports,
he met with 78 officials and businesspeople,
traveled to four different states,
and attended 11 events over the course of those 14 days.
But the visual evidence obtained shows he was at events
with even more people than his official schedule suggests.
Sometimes he wears a mask
and maintains a distance from others,
but at other times, he shakes hands, gives out hugs,
and speaks in close proximity
to people without any face covering.
On June 21st, Bolsonaro travels from the Brasilia Air Base
to Afonsos Air Base in Rio de Janeiro.
He speaks at a paratrooper's funeral.
He is in physical contact with several people.
The next day,
Bolsonaro participates in two official ceremonies.
He wears a mask intermittently.
At the opening ceremony of the National Drug Policy Week,
he takes off his mask when he poses for pictures
with the General Director of the Federal Police.
He also fires several different guns at a firing range
and visits with federal police.
He then returns to the Planalto Palace, his official workplace,
for the inauguration of a new TV channel in Brazil.
He hugs the president of one of Brazil's media conglomerates.
Neither is wearing a mask.
They walk over to unveil a plaque
and stand beside the Minister of Agriculture
and a Supreme Court justice.
He spends the rest of the day meeting with six officials,
according to his schedule.
On June 23rd, a judge orders Bolsonaro to wear a mask
when in public spaces in Brasilia
and the surrounding Federal District.
That day, Bolsonaro attends meetings
at the presidential offices
with 11 people before going to the Aerospace Command Operations
in the afternoon.
At a ceremony for the opening of a space operations center,
he is seen shaking hands with Air Force officers.
On June 24th, his schedule shows 11 meetings
between his offices and his residence,
indicating he came into contact with at least 25 people.
Bolsonaro attends a breakfast with 15 people.
They sit at a table and gather in a circle.
No one wears a mask.
On June 25th, his schedule outlines meetings with 11 people
and 2 ceremonies with an unknown number of people.
The first ceremony was a signing event
in the presidential offices.
He does not wear a mask when he addresses the attendees
but does so when he sits with three government officials.
Shortly after, he travels to the Ministry of Justice,
where he shakes hands at a ceremony
to unveil an exhibit honoring a Brazilian border force.
Bolsonaro attends two events
that are not on the official schedule that day --
a meeting to appoint the Minister of Education,
who later resigns -- neither wears a mask --
and his weekly live briefing.
No one at the briefing,
including the musician in the back, wears a mask.
On June 26th, he flies from Brasilia to Ceará.
A crowd awaits his arrival at the airport.
He travels to a dam in the city of Penaforte.
He does not wear a mask in the helicopter
with the Minister of Infrastructure.
While in Penaforte,
Bolsonaro walks into large groups of people,
takes photos, and shakes hands without wearing a mask.
On June 27th, there are no official events
listed on Bolsonaro's schedule,
but video shows he visited the town of Araguari.
He first arrives at a local snack bar
which, according to local media,
had closed down during the pandemic
but reopened for Bolsonaro.
Several photos and videos from the visit
show him without a mask.
He shakes hands with army officials,
hugs an older gentleman,
picks up a child, and wades into a crowd.
On June 29th, his schedule includes 9 meetings
at the presidential offices with 11 people in total.
The next day, Bolsonaro meets with presidents
of Brazilian soccer clubs.
Bolsonaro and the Executive Secretary
of the Ministry of Communications
do not wear masks during the meeting.
According to the schedule, Bolsonaro meets
with 33 officials over the course of the day.
That afternoon, Bolsonaro wears a mask
at the emergency aid extension ceremony.
At some point during the day, at the presidential offices,
Bolsonaro returns a dog adopted by his wife
to its original owner.
Bolsonaro does not wear a mask and shakes hands with the owner.
On July 1st, Bolsonaro's schedule includes six meetings
at the presidential offices with at least eight people in total.
The next day, his schedule includes four meetings
with at least five people.
He meets with the Minister of Foreign Affairs
before attending the LVI Summit of Heads of State of Mercosul
and Associated States.
Bolsonaro and Araújo do not wear masks.
That evening in the Alvorado Palace,
he hosts a live video conference,
which occurs weekly on Thursdays,
with six other people sitting closely together
in a room without masks.
On July 3rd, 108 employees who work at the presidential offices
tested positive for coronavirus,
according to Brazil's general secretariat.
Bolsonaro plans to hold meetings
at the presidential offices with eight people.
At a meeting with this businessman,
neither Bolsonaro nor anyone else
at the meeting wears a mask.
Attendees talk and joke in small circles.
On July 4th, the day before he started experiencing symptoms,
Bolsonaro travels from Brasilia to Florianópolis
early in the morning.
He shakes several people's hands and hugs at least three people.
He flies over the surrounding area to survey damage
caused by a cyclone.
Later that day, he returns to Brasilia
to attend a Fourth of July celebration
at the residence of the US ambassador
in a wealthy residential area, Lake South.
He shakes hands with the ambassador,
eats with at least eight other guests,
and poses for pictures without social distancing.
No one in attendance wears a mask.
On July 5th, Bolsonaro first reports
experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
The following day, he meets with nine people.
He gets tested at a Brasilia hospital for COVID-19.
On July 7th, Bolsonaro announces
the positive results of his test.
The visual evidence from the two weeks
before he started to experience symptoms
showed Bolsonaro routinely
ignored the recommendations of health experts
by not wearing a mask or abiding by social-distancing guidelines.
He was around hundreds of people.
Even after testing positive, Bolsonaro has been inconsistent
in following health and safety guidelines.
-So, then, let's be cautious, especially the more elderly
that may have other issues, and the young, be cautious.
But if you contract the virus, stay calm because for you guys
the possibility of more serious issues is close to zero.
Thanks to all.
I'll see you guys in a week.