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Bolsonaro fires his Minister of Health 0:56
(CNN) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro joined a demonstration in the country's capital on Sunday, in which protesters called for an end to the quarantine measures and some called for military intervention to close Congress and the Supreme Court.
Congress and the Supreme Court have supported the social isolation measures imposed by the country's governors.
The president did not wear a mask and coughed several times while speaking to the crowd of a couple of hundred supporters in Brasilia.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro coughs as he speaks after joining his supporters who were participating in a caravan to protest against quarantine and social distancing measures to combat the new coronavirus outbreak in Brasilia. (Photo by SERGIO LIMA / AFP via Getty Images)
"(Everyone should) do what is necessary so that the country has the prominent place it deserves," he said. "We will not negotiate anything."
The rules in Brazil: The country's national and local governments have issued mixed messages on how to behave during the pandemic. While Bolsonaro has been lobbying against strict restrictions, state and local governments in some of Brazil's hardest hit areas have closed schools and all less essential businesses, with firefighters and police on the streets urging people to stay on their houses.
Last week, Bolsonaro fired his health minister after weeks of clashes over measures of social isolation. During a press conference to introduce his new minister, he reiterated that companies must reopen to ensure that the economic consequences are not worse than the virus. Polls, however, show that the majority of Brazilians support social isolation.
On Sunday, Bolsonaro's supporters also organized caravans in different cities.
Background: Brazil has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Latin America. As of Sunday, the country had reported 38,654 cases and 2,462 deaths, according to health officials.
Jair Bolsonaro
