Bolsonaro waters down law requiring people to wear face masks in Brazil

Brazil President JairBolsonaroon Friday sanctioned a law diluting the requirementofwearingface masks in public places to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

The far-right leader used his veto power to remove articles obliging people to wear masks in shops and churches.

Face coverings are already mandatory in several states, such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but this was the first such law on a national level.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

One of the original articles stipulated that masks must be worn in "commercial and industrial establishments, religious temples, teaching premises and also closed places where people are gathering."

Bolsonaroalleged the article was unconstitutional, saying it could "possibly violate the home" in referring to closed places where businesses and meetings take place.

The Chamber of Deputies insisted this clause referred to places that are "accessible to the public" and not homes, which are protected by the constitution.

Congress must now study the president's vetos and decide whether to maintain or reverse them.

On Tuesday, a judge overturned a court ruling requiringBolsonaroto wear a face mask in public, deeming it unnecessary given it was already obligatory in the capital Brasilia.

Since the beginning of the virus outbreak,Bolsonarohas minimized the risks of what he initially called "a little flu" and flouted social distancing rules and containment measures, such as wearing a mask in public.

Brazil is the second worst-hit country in the world in the pandemic, with more than 61,000 deaths and 1.5 million cases.