On Tuesday, two Brazilian state governors tested positive for the new coronavirus in the tourist hotspot of Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon rain forest state of Pará, becoming the last leaders to catch the disease as it spreads across the country.
In a video posted on Twitter, Rio Governor Wilson Witzel said that after feeling bad for the past few days, with fever and sore throat, he had asked for a test and received the positive result Tuesday.
Witzel visited a hospital Tuesday later, where he was undergoing tests to see if he should be hospitalized, said members of his office.
Pará governor Helder Barbalho, in a social media post, said he was also tested positive after members of his staff fell on the virus, although he had no symptoms.
The two governors called on residents of their states to follow the guidelines for home shelters to avoid spreading the virus.
“I ask you once again to stay at home. As everyone can say, the disease is no exception for anyone and contagion is rapid, “said Witzel.
Brazil on Tuesday recorded a record 204 deaths from COVID-19, the serious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, the highest number of deaths in a single day since the start of the epidemic. More than 1,500 people died from COVID-19 in Brazil, with more than 25,000 confirmed cases of the disease.
Governors have played a vital role in fighting the spread of the virus by ordering people to stay inside and most businesses to close.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has criticized the blockages at the local level, saying that the epidemic has been disproportionate, even though several of his closest ministers and collaborators have been infected.
