Activists of the NGO Rio de Paz in protective gear dig graves on Copacabana beach to symbolise the dead from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during a demonstration in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 11, 2020.
- Brazil now has the third-highest death toll from Covid-19, although it is likely to surpass Britain on Friday.
The news came as the number of Latin American cases of the virus broke through the 1.5 million barrier, according to a count by AFP based on official figures in the region.
Latin America has also reported more than 73,600 deaths.
Brazil recorded 1,239 deaths over the last 24 hours, taking it to more than 40,900 -- currently the third-highest death toll in the world, although it is likely to overtake Britain on Friday.
The South American giant, whose population of 212 million accounts for roughly half of South America, registered more than 30,000 new infections, taking it to 802,800 -- second only to the United States in total cases.
Most experts, though, suspect the true numbers are far greater due to a lack of testing.
Brazil's latest figures came on the same day that the country's two biggest cities -- Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro -- reopened shopping malls.
They have been by far the two worst hit cities in Brazil by the virus.
Sao Paulo now has more than 10,000 deaths while Rio has over 7,300.
Graves dug on Rio's Copacabana Beach to protest against how the government of Brazil has handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, volunteers dug 100 graves on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro Thursday as a symbolic reminder of the thousands of Brazilians who have died from Covid-19, and also to denounce what they called the "incompetence" of public authorities handling the pandemic.
Ten rows of holes were dug in the sand in front of the iconic Copacabana Palace hotel, and dotted with black crosses decorated with small Brazilian flags.
"The objective is to protest against the succession of errors made by the federal government in handling the humanitarian crisis that Brazil is suffering," the NGO Rio de Paz, established to combat violence in the city, said on Twitter.
A pro-government supporter knocks over some of the 100 crosses placed by activists from the Brazilian NGO Rio de Paz (Peace Rio), symbolizing the deaths from COVID-19 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The visual effect is reminiscent of images from locations around the world where the coronavirus has hastened the digging of fresh graves -- particularly in the Amazonian city of Manaus in Brazil's north.
"Here we have reproduced, in this postcard Rio setting, what we see in our cemeteries," Antonio Carlos Costa, president of Rio de Paz, told AFP.
"We are here to demand a change of attitude from the president of the republic, who must understand that our nation is facing the most difficult moment in its history," he said. "This pandemic has exacerbated social injustices and the incompetence of public powers."
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the pandemic's scale, calling Covid-19 "a flu."
While Bolsonaro advocates for the resumption of economic activity, the virus continues to spread in the country, where almost 40,000 people have died and more than 770,000 have been infected, out of a population of over 210 million.
Back on Copacabana Beach, a Bolsonaro supporter tore up some of the crosses, while others insulted members of the NGO.
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