This is the moment Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro lowers a boy’s face mask for a photo opportunity.

The incident was filmed during a visit to Rio Grande Do Norte when the Brazilian leader was greeting supporters.

As well as being filmed lowering the young boy’s face mask, Bolsonaro reportedly did the same for a 10-year-old girl in the crowd at another event on Thursday.

In the footage, a young lad in a Brazil football shirt is seen being passed to the president who holds him in his arms and lowers his face mask from his airways.

Several people seem to cheer as the president and maskless boy then pose for photos.

During an event in the municipality of Jucurutu, President Bolsonaro asked a 10-year-old girl to take off her mask, according to the news site O Dia.

During a live broadcast on social media, the president reportedly questioned the need for face masks for young children as many breathe through their mouth instead of their nose.

However, he clarified: “Ask your doctor if this is healthy or not. Try to pull the mask off and check if the child is breathing through their mouth or nose. If I am wrong, I will apologise here next week, okay?”

The Brazilian government has been strongly criticised for not implementing strict measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Bolsonaro previously described state governors and mayors who imposed draconian health measures as “tyrants”.

According to Statista, Brazil is the seventh worst-hit country in the world for COVID-19 deaths per million while the top 20 worst-performing nations are mostly lockdown countries.