By Melanie Eversley

Amid fears that the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York would become a coronavirus super-spreader event, UNGA President Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives welcomed world leaders on Tuesday.

“I’m honored to welcome you all to the opening of the general debate as we kick off the high-level week of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly,” Shahid said. “I’m even more pleased to welcome all of you back to an in-person session of the General Assembly.”

World leaders were given the option of taking part via video, but about 100 of them chose to be present in-person. Not all of them are vaccinated against COVID-19, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who spoke on Tuesday about his belief that pandemic restrictions are crippling economies.