Brazil: Authorities inspect anti-virus measures in Rio

Authorities in Rio de Janeiro stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus on Tuesday.

Workers distributed face masks and sanitized public areas near the central train and bus stations, and talked to residents about hygiene and social distancing.

It was part of an operation called "Life's Checkpoint," launched some weeks ago by city officials.

Public transport hubs were a prime focus because of the transmission risk.

Not all measures were welcomed by the population, with street vendors complaining when guards removed illegally built vendor stands.

Rio de Janeiro is the third most affected state in the countrt. It has 141,000 confirmed cases and a death toll of more than 12,000.

Nationally, the federal ministry of health said Monday that Brazil has more than two million confirmed cases, and more than 80,000 deaths, making it the second-worst affected country in the world.

Brazil's federal Ministry of Health said Monday that Brazil has now recorded more than 2.1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 80,120 deaths.