A federal judge in Brazil ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a face mask in public after the far-right leader repeatedly flouted the coronavirus containment measures in place in Brasilia.
Judge Renato Borelli ordered Mr Bolsonaro, who has famously compared the new coronavirus to a "little flu," to stop ignoring the capital city's mask decree or face a fine of 2,000 reals ($560).
"The president has a constitutional obligation to follow the laws in force in the country, as well as to promote the general welfare of the people, which means taking the necessary measures to protect citizens' right to health," the judge wrote in his ruling Monday.
The decision also applies to Mr Bolsonaro's cabinet and staff.
The case was brought by a lawyer who said the president should be held to account for his "irresponsible behavior."
Demonstrators protest against the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro over his response to coronavirus pandemic in Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 21, 2020. Source: Pacific Press/Sipa USA
Masks have been mandatory in public in Brasilia since April to curb the spread of the virus.
Mr Bolsonaro regularly breaks the social distancing measures in place in the capital, giving handshakes and hugs at rallies by his supporters, hosting barbecues, hitting the shooting range and going out for hotdogs, generally without a mask.
His former education minister Abraham Weintraub was fined 2,000 reals last week for attending a pro-Bolsonaro rally in Brasilia without a mask.
Brazil has the second-highest COVID-19 death toll in the world, after the United States, at more than 51,000.
That has made the country a prime location for vaccine trials, which began over the weekend for a candidate developed by Oxford University.
Brazil's interim health minister said on Tuesday that the government would likely sign a deal this week to produce the university's trial vaccine locally.
On other fronts, Mr Bolsonaro has openly defied the consensus among public health experts for slowing the outbreak.
The president has criticized lockdown and social-distancing orders issued by governors and mayors, saying their economic damage is worse than the disease.
Echoing US President Donald Trump, Mr Bolsonaro has also pushed unproven anti-malarial drugs to treat the novel coronavirus.
But his most visible defiance has been going mask-less at a string of demonstrations in Brasilia, holding babies for photos and shaking hands with supporters.
Other officials have run afoul of the local mask rule.
The country's former education minister, who resigned last week, was fined 2,000 reais for not wearing a mask on the capital's central boulevard earlier this month.
Additional reporting: Reuters
