News

Bolsonaro's Coronavirus-Carrying Aide Forces Closure of MDC Medical Campus

In the past few days, Bolsonaro and Wajngarten made several stops in Florida, including a meet-and-greet Monday in Miami.

By Manuel Madrid

March 12, 2020

The visit of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (above) — and his coronavirus-carrying press secretary — has had a ripple effect in Miami. Photo by Marcelo Camargo / Wikimedia Commons

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Miami Dade College's medical campus has officially closed in response to news that a member of a delegation led by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Fabio Wajngarten, Bolsonaro's press secretary, tested positive for the virus earlier today, according to a report by Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo that has been confirmed by various U.S. outlets.

In the past few days, Bolsonaro and Wajngarten made several stops in Florida, including a meet-and-greet Monday with Miami's Brazilian community at the Miami Dade College Auditorium on the school's medical campus. The campus has been temporarily closed, and all extracurricular events college-wide have been canceled. Miami Dade College says it's consulting with local health officials regarding additional actions, but the college has yet to cancel classes on its main campus.

The Brazilian delegation also paid a visit to President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago last Saturday, where Wajngarten was photographed with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. But Bolsonaro's South Florida tour didn't stop there. The far-right leader and his aide Monday met with Florida Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio as well as Miami and Miami-Dade Mayors Francis Suarez and Carlos Gimenez.

Suarez and Scott have self-quarantined as a precaution, although both deny experiencing any symptoms of coronavirus. Gimenez also began a self-quarantine today and is awaiting a health assessment to see if testing will be required, according to reporting by NBC Miami.

Here is my statement regarding my decision to self-quarantine: pic.twitter.com/zKAmOXIB2Q
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@MiamiMayor) March 12, 2020

Trump, for his part, told White House reporters today he's "not concerned" about the news regarding Wajngarten. According to the White House, Trump and Pence do not require any testing themselves because they had "almost no interactions with the individual who tested positive."

As for Bolsonaro, yesterday he dismissed reports about Wajngarten's diagnosis as a fantasy concocted by the media.

The guy standing to Trump’s left just tested positive for coronavirus, according to Brazilian media. Fabio Wajngarten posted this photo, taken during meetings at Mar-a-Lago, five days ago. pic.twitter.com/qioU4qIlxl
— Gabriel Stargardter (@gabstargardter) March 12, 2020

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Manuel Madrid is a former staff writer for Miami New Times. The child of Venezuelan immigrants, he grew up in Pompano Beach. He studied finance at Virginia Commonwealth University and worked as a writing fellow for the magazine The American Prospect in Washington, D.C.

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Twitter: @manueljmadrid