Brazil’s famed Christ the Redeemer statue was lit up with the flags of countries that have reported positive coronavirus tests, as cases of the virus spread around the world.
The giant statue of Jesus Christ, which stands nearly 100 feet tall and overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro, also showed images of the continents afflicted.
Images of the words “pray together” in many languages were also projected onto the statue on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Brazil’s government announced that the statue would be closed to visitors for at least a week, as The Associated Press reported.
The statue is a popular destination for tourists looking for sweeping views of the city.
Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated with images of continents and flags in a show of solidarity with countries grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. More on our live blog: https://t.co/3uc2RSEjBO pic.twitter.com/xAnVy5kt9x
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 19, 2020
Brazil has at least 621 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a dashboard created by the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. And Brazil’s Health Minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, is warning that the virus is spreading “en masse” through much of the country, according to Reuters.