Coronavirus hospital set-up near the Maracana stadium

Authorities in Rio de Janeiro are turning the iconic Maracana Stadium into one of seven field hospitals to treat patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

The new hospitals will add 1,800 beds to the health system in Rio de Janeiro, which is the statet with the second highest number of deaths and confirmed cases in Brazil, behind Sao Paulo.

According to the authorities, the hospitals will be ready at the end of April.

While workers hurry to finish the field hospitals to receive an increasing number of patients infected with COVID-19, dozens of people around the stadium continue to run, walk and exercise, ignoring Rio's government recommendation to stay in their houses.

Not far from the Maracana, in downtown Rio, a long line of people wearing masks were filling forms trying to get a job.

People in the queue complained that the government offered little and late support when jobs disappeared two weeks ago when Rio de Janeiro declared a shutdown.

Brazil has so far registered 299 victims and almost 8,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the country with most cases and deaths in Latin America.

The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.