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Brazilian press group to sue Bolsonaro for taking off his mask at briefing

Brazilian press group to sue Bolsonaro for taking off his mask at briefing

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

The Brazilian Press Association has said it will file a lawsuit in the Supreme Court against President Jair Bolsonaro over possibly exposing members of the media to the novel coronavirus.

The association, known as ABI, alleged Bolsonaro did not respect the health safety distance from reporters, and took off his mask at Tuesday's televised press conference in the capital Brasilia, where he announced that he had tested positive for coronavirus.

The press group has accused Bolsonaro of endangering the lives of journalists who were present.

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Three TV stations -- CNN Brasil, TV Record and TV Brasil -- were present at the press conference.

After Tuesday's press conference, congressman Marcelo Freixo tweeted that he filed a lawsuit against Bolsonaro with the Federal Attorney's Office.

Meanwhile, ministers who recently had contact with the president have also been tested for the virus over the past two days.