Amid COVID protocols, unvaccinated Bolsonaro settles for NYC street pizza

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was spotted in New York’s Manhattan eating pizza on a sidewalk instead of dining in a proper restaurant. Unvaccinated state leaders who are in the city to attend a meeting at the United Nations headquarters will be liable to follow the COVID protocols. 

Two senior leaders of the Brazilian government, who are part of Bolsonaro’s delegation, clicked and uploaded a photo of the 66-year-old leader eating pizza on a sidewalk in New York on Sunday night.

Before leaving for the United States said that his immune system is strong enough to fight off COVID-19, according to reports from Reuters. Bolsonaro has often made statements that were considered to have a skeptical view of vaccines.

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“No. Not yet”, was the answer given by Bolsonaro when asked by United Kingdom’s Prime Minter Boris Johnson about his vaccination status.

Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, appealed to world leaders to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before arriving in the United States for the United Nations meeting. Blasio’s statement specifically called out Bolsonaro, according to reports from Reuters.

The New York mayor said, “If you do not want to be vaccinated, do not bother coming.”

Abdulla Shahid, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, sent out a notification to 193-member states about following the COVID-19 protocols. Even though leaders would not be required proof of vaccination, other protocols will stay in place.

According to Reuters reports, multiple state leaders will be sending in virtually recorded messages as their address to the United Nations gathering.

The supporters of Bolsonaro spoke in support of their leader and praised his “simplicity” for eating a pizza on a sidewalk.

In a statement in June this year, Bolsonarno said, “I caught the virus and took hydroxychloroquine. Maybe I’m the only head of state who looked for that remedy… I’m not going to back down, I’m stubborn, I’m persistent.” The Brazillian leader has made numerous such controversial statements.