Staff conduct disinfection at Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 16, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese in Brazil wish Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro a speedy recovery from COVID-19 and hope  he will start taking the epidemic more seriously after experiencing the terrible disease firsthand.

Media reports said Bolsonaro was suffering from a fever and tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. 

Chinese in Brazil reached by Global Times said they are not surprised to hear  Bolsonaro contracted the disease as he is opposed to wearing masks.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the risk of COVID-19, calling it a "little flu," and saying he wouldn't be affected much. He has resisted calling for a lockdown or implementing quarantine measures, arguing they would damage the economy.

Brazil has the world's second most COVID-19 cases after the US with 1,668,589 confirmed infections and 66,741 deaths, according to the data of Johns Hopkins University.

"The president should tell the truth now that he is suffering from the virus and appeal to the people to pay more attention to protecting themselves and others. If the president feels good even after being infected, the public will believe even more that COVID-19 is just a 'little flu,'" Chen Shikai, a 33-year-old Chinese man who has been living in Brazil for seven years, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Cheng Pu, chairman of the Brazil-China Cultural Communication Association, told the Global Times that Bolsonaro has followed the US lead, suggesting the COVID-19 pandemic isn't serious, that masks aren't needed and people can return to work without restrictions to restore the economy.

Cheng hopes after personally experiencing COVID-19, the president will change his attitude and start to implement stronger anti-epidemic measures.

"We hope he will overcome the illness soon. We do not want anyone to get infected. We hope everyone can live a healthy life!" Cheng noted.

China and Brazil are cooperating on COVID-19 vaccine research, according to media reports.