Unvaccinated President Bolsonaro to Visit Guyana This Week

18th of January, 2022. Georgetown, Guyana, South America

Guyana’s border is currently closed to unvaccinated persons, but will President Ali make an exception for President Jair Bolsonaro who is expected to visit both Suriname and Guyana on the 20th and 21st of this month?

The Heads of State are expected to review topics on the bilateral agendas in areas such as trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, security, defense, technical cooperation, and regional issues.

On January 20, President Ali along with Bolsonaro and the Surinamese president will hold a working lunch in the Surinamese capital at which time they will discuss projects of common interest.

The presidential trip takes place in the context of strengthening bilateral relations in a scenario of resumption of strategic dialogue between governments and of prospects for greater economic and social development in Suriname and Guyana driven by recent discoveries of oil and gas.

One of the few anti-vax presidents of the world, Bolsonaro had refused to take the Covid-19 vaccine because of the vaccine manufacturers’ terms and conditions which absolve the manufacturers of all legal consequences should the vaccine produce harmful side effects in the individual.

Last year, he became famous for his quote, “In the Pfizer contract, it’s very clear: ‘we’re not responsible for any side-effects.’ If you turn into a crocodile, it’s your problem.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the Portuguese president actually thinks that the vaccine will turn people into crocodiles. He is simply referring to the alarming indemnity given to the vaccine makers which hints at uncertainty.

Despite not taking the Covid-19 vaccine himself, Bolsonaro didn’t actively discourage his citizens from taking the vaccine. Instead, he made the vaccine freely available to all Brazilians. However, there is little to no pressure or coercion for Brazilian residents who are hesitant to take the vaccine, and Brazilians face no restriction from entering any restaurant, bank, public building, etc if they are unvaccinated. Currently, 68.8% of Brazil’s population are fully vaccinated and 78.7% have received at least one dose.