Ignorance is bliss: World leaders who denied the gravity of COVID-19 crisis
Jair Bolsonaro
The Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro referred to COVID-19 as nothing but "a little flu" even though his own press secretary had tested positive for the virus.
He did not just stop at that as he went on to call the pandemic "over-rated".
In a public addressal he said media and world leaders are tricking people by making a big deal of the coronavirus.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador dismissed the social distancing, a precautionary measure for coronavirus saying, ''You have to hug, nothing happens''.
Instead of telling people to stay home and self-quarantine themselves, he tweeted a video in which he encouraged people to got out and eat.
Luis Miguel Barbosa
Luis Miguel Barbosa, the governor of the Mexican state of Puebla claimed that while rich people are prone to risk of getting infected with the virus, poor people are immune to Covid-19, while the president has told citizens to carry on as normal. His comments sparked outrage on social media.
Daniel Ortega
President of Nicaragua has not ordered any major preventive measure so far. The country's borders are open.
Instead of imposing a lockdown, Ortega asked health officials to go door to door asking people to wash hands.
Meanwhile, his wife Rosario Murillo, who is also the country's vice-president, advised people to turn to religion.
Alexander Lukashenko
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko mocked what he calls the ''panic'' gripping countries that have imposed lockdowns to minimise deaths.
He shrugged off concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak and refused to order his citizens into lockdown.
''The world has gone mad from the coronavirus. It can be easily cured by drinking vodka, working hard in the countryside and attending saunas,'' he added.
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