Brazil passes France in COVID-19 cases to become sixth worst-hit country

People attend a mass burial of people who passed away due to the coronavirus, at the Parque Taruma cemetery in Manaus, Brazil. REUTERS/Bruno KellyBRASILIA: Brazil registered a record number of new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday , surpassing France's tally to become the sixth-worst hit country, as the coronavirus sends the economy towards its worst year since at least 1900.

The government confirmed 11,385 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing its total count to 188,974 cases of the coronavirus since the outbreak began. Early on Wednesday, France revised its total number of confirmed and suspected cases down 0.3 per cent to 177,700.The pandemic has battered Brazil's economy as residents shelter at home and many state and local governments instructed most businesses to close to slow the spread of the virus.

On Wednesday, the economy ministry predicted the Brazilian economy would contract 4.7 per cent in 2020, the biggest annual fall since records began more than a century ago.The ministry estimates every additional week of quarantine measures costs the economy 20 billion reais .He escalated the fight this week by declaring gyms and beauty salons as"essential" services that can open for business, threatening legal action against local governments that don't comply.

Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populous state and with the most cases of the virus, will not comply with Bolsonaro's decree, Governor Joao Doria said on Wednesday, echoing comments made by at least 10 other governors. The five countries that have registered more infections than Brazil are the United States, Spain, Russia, the United Kingdom and Italy.

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