President Jair Bolsonaro (no party) said on Monday (8) that he will not use what he called "my army" to carry out lockdowns or other restrictive measures across the country to halt the advance of Covid-19.
"I'm just going to give a message here: some want me to enact a lockdown. I'm not going to do it. And you can be sure of one thing: my army does not go out into the street to force the people to stay at home. My army, which is your army. So, rest assured about this," said Bolsonaro, when interacting with supporters at the door of the Palácio da Alvorada.
The conversation was recorded and disseminated through a channel sympathetic to the president.
Bolsonaro has made repeated attacks on restrictive measures and on governors, who, in turn, have increased pressure on the president in the face of the federal government's inefficiency in combating the pandemic.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon