Brazil President dilutes law mandating wearing of masks in all public places
Jul 05, 2020
Brasilia [Brazil], July 5 : Amid the surge in coronavirus cases in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday (local time) diluted the law mandating the wearing of masks in public places.
Al Jazeera reported that Bolsonaro used his veto power to water down the law necessitating wearing of masks in all public spaces. He removed provisions like compulsory face-covering in shops and churches.
Earlier, it was stated that the masks are to be worn in "commercial and industrial establishments, religious temples, teaching premises and also closed places where people are gathering".
However, the President has now been reported as saying that the article was unconstitutional.
He has also vetoed articles mandating shops and business establishments to provide masks to their staff, and public authorities to distribute masks to the economically weaker sections, Al Jazeera reported.
Brazil recorded 38,000 new cases of coronavirus and more than a thousand deaths in the past 24 hours, Sputnik reported.
Overall, Brazil has 1,577,004 confirmed coronavirus cases and a total of 64,265 COVID-19 fatalities.
