Rio de Janeiro announces curfew as Brazil battles brutal Covid-19 wave

The city of 6.7 million people will impose a curfew from 11 pm to 5 am

Brazil's second biggest city of Rio de Janeiro will be the latest to adopt new Covid-related restrictions on Friday, including a night curfew, in a bid to slow a deadly second wave that is ravaging the South American country.

While Covid-19 deaths and infections are falling globally, that is not the case in Brazil, where a record 1,910 people died from the virus on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File) (AP)

The city of 6.7 million people will impose a curfew from 11 pm to 5 am and order restaurants to close at 5 pm, while certain businesses, such as clubs, will be shut altogether, according to information published in the city's official bulletin on Thursday.

While Covid-19 deaths and infections are falling globally, that is not the case in Brazil, where a record 1,910 people died from the virus on Wednesday.

In response, various states and cities have adopted new restrictions on commerce in recent days, including the Federal District, home of capital Brasilia, and Sao Paulo state, Brazil's most populous.

The new restrictions in Rio are due to last through March 11.