Brazil’s president quarantines after member of his delegation catches COVID

Jair Bolsonaro isolates himself at health authority's request after his health minister diagnosed with virus

By Muhammed Emin Canik

BUENOS AIRES (AA) - Brazil’s president self-quarantined upon returning home Wednesday after a member of his delegation to the UN General Assembly tested positive for COVID-19.

The move came after the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA), the country's health authority, requested that Jair Bolsonaro and the rest of his delegation go into isolation after Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga announced Tuesday on Twitter that he had tested positive for the virus during the Brazilian leader’s trip to New York for the annual gathering of world leaders.

A statement issued by the Palácio do Planalto, the official residence of the president, said the delegation will remain in quarantine for five days, after which PCR tests will be requested.

Queiroga tested positive for COVID-19 a day before his expected return from the US to Brazil and had to go into quarantine at a hotel in New York and delayed his return.

A young diplomat who was part of a team preparing Bolsonaro's visit also tested positive for the virus on the weekend and was isolated.

*Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara

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