Rio de Janeiro, March 23, 2020: The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil was lit up March 18 night with flags and messages of hope to the nations affected by the growing coronavirus pandemic.
The stunning light show atop Rio de Janeiro’s Corcovado mountain featured more than 150 flags, representing every country with confirmed COVID-19 cases, as well as the phrase “pray together” projected in multiple languages.
The 125-foot-tall landmark, which received nearly 2 million tourists last year, has been closed since Tuesday to help reduce exposure to the deadly virus.
Brazil has confirmed more than 500 infections and at least four deaths since the virus was first detected in the country less than a month ago.
The highly contagious COVID-19 has spread to every continent outside Antarctica, or at least 159 countries, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
During Wednesday’s light show in Rio, the city’s Catholic archdiocese led a service in solidarity to the victims and urging people to pray for those battling the infection around the world.
Pope Francis also used the #praytogether hashtag on social media this week to honor the victims.
“Let us pray especially for healthcare providers who have given their life in service of the sick,” he said, on Twitter.
As of Thursday morning, about 230,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 around the world, though nearly a third of them have already recovered, according to Johns Hopkins.
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