Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has defied expert advice on social distancing and face masks to slow the spread of the new coronavirus -- though he has recently adopted a more pragmatic tone, under pressure amid a deadly surge of COVID-19 in Brazil.
That included appearing in a face mask -- formerly a rarity -- to greet supporters wishing him a happy birthday outside the presidential palace in Brasilia.
"The importance [of being here] is that he feels the affection that we have for him, the love that we have for his person as president, as a man, as a patriot," says a supporter.
