Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue may have been closed to the public amid the sweeping coronavirus outbreak — but it still showed its support with a brilliant light show displaying the flags and maps of the countries and continents grappling with the deadly bug.
The Rio de Janeiro landmark, normally illuminated by bright white light, instead circulated images Wednesday encouraging prayers for people infected with COVID-19.
The hashtag “Praying together” was shown in multiple languages across the 125-foot-tall statue.
The tourist attraction, which last year saw nearly 2 million visitors, closed on Tuesday and won’t reopen for at least a week amid the outbreak.
The Chico Mendes Institute, the administrators of the Tijuca Forest national park where the monument is located, ordered the closure of all its national parks Tuesday.
More than 300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Brazil, with more than half in Sao Paulo and the second-largest number in Rio, according to the country’s health ministry.
The country’s first coronavirus-related death — a 62-year-old man in Sao Paulo — was reported on Tuesday.
Globally, more than 222,000 coronavirus cases and 9,300 deaths were reported as of Thursday morning, according to Johns Hopkins data.








With Post wires



