Brasilia, May 25 (RHC)-- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has hit the streets for a rally with his supporters, ditching his face mask and breaking social distancing measures even as coronavirus cases surged in Brazil.

The Brazilian president arrived at the rally outside the presidential palace in Brasilia in a white surgical mask, but soon took it off to greet the cheering crowd, shake hands and embrace supporters.  The rally came as Brazil emerged as a new flashpoint in the pandemic.

With nearly 350,000 confirmed cases, Brazil now has the second-biggest caseload in the world, after the United States.  It has registered more than 22,000 deaths.

Bolsonaro has famously compared the virus to a "little flu" and argues that stay-at-home measures are unnecessarily hurting the economy.