Brazil's death toll continues to skyrocket with the country now overtaking the UK in terms of lives lost to the coronavirus crisis.
Brazil’s Health Ministry reported more than 1200 deaths a day since Tuesday, a mounting toll as the country moves to ease quarantine restrictions and reopen businesses, a move called for by President Jair Bolsonaro.
Cemetery workers across the country have been forced to exhume bodies as the country grapples with its thousands of dead.
Photos taken at the Vila Formosa cemetery, in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, showed workers exhuming bodies buried three years ago.
The cemetery does not charge families for gravesites and the bodies are exhumed after three years however workers have been forced to up the pace due to the coronavirus crisis.
Other photos from Manuas in Brazil showed workers in bulldozers clearing forests and digging dozens of graves to make space for the rising body count.
Globally, there have been more than 7.2 million known coronavirus infections, with a global death toll of 409,617.
In Australia there have been more than 7280 cases, with 3119 in NSW, 1065 in Queensland, 1703 in Victoria, 440 in South Australia, 601 in Western Australia, 228 in Tasmania, 108 in the ACT and 29 in the NT.
Follow our live coverage below.
Cemetery workers exhume bodies in Brazil
Cemetery workers in Brazil are exhuming bodies across the country as its virus death toll skyrockets as authorities frantically clear land for more grave sites.
Photos taken at the Vila Formosa cemetery, in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, showed workers exhuming bodies buried three years ago.
The cemetery does not charge families for gravesites and the bodies are exhumed after three years however workers have been forced to up the pace due to the coronavirus crisis.
Other photos from Manuas in Brazil showed workers in bulldozers clearing forests and digging dozens of graves to make space for the rising body count.
Pictures from Andre Penner and Michael Dantas
One new case of coronavirus in Queensland
Queensland has recorded one new case of coronavirus, taking its total to 1065.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the new case earlier today.
The single case comes as Queensland prepares to reopen its borders.
Ms Palaszczuk announced yesterday the state would reopen to the rest of the country on July 10.
Four new cases of coronavirus in NSW
NSW has recorded four new cases of coronavirus, bringing its total to 3119.
The state has performed a record number of tests this week with 14,127 tested until 8pm last night and 15,220 in the 24-hour period before.
Of the four new cases today, two cases are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
Another is a locally acquired case under investigation, a man in his 20s.
NSW Health confirmed the man has not attended any mass gatherings or protests and all of his close contacts have been contacted.
The final case is the now-confirmed after school worker at Rose Bay Public School.
"The date of infection is still to be determined and this case may be an older infection," NSW Health said.
"The source of infection is also being investigated. As a precaution, all close contacts of this case are being identified and advised of the need to isolate and monitor for symptoms."
Brazil's death toll skyrockets
Brazil's death toll has skyrocketed in the past week, putting the country ahead of the UK in terms of lives lost to the coronavirus crisis.
Brazil’s Health Ministry reported more than 1200 deaths a day since Tuesday, a mounting toll as the country moves to ease quarantine restrictions and reopen businesses, a move called for by President Jair Bolsonaro.
The right-wing leader has minimised the gravity of the novel coronavirus, dismissing it “a little flu,” and has accused state governments of exaggerating the number of infections and deaths to undermine him.
On Thursday night, Mr Bolsonaro encouraged his supporters to “find a way to get inside” hospitals to film whether the ICU beds are occupied or not, to provide images that the police and Brazil’s intelligence agency could investigate.
Brazilian shoppers lined up for hours and crowded into malls that reopened on Thursday in the country’s two largest cities.
Shoppers continued to crowd malls on Friday, Brazil’s equivalent to Valentine’s Day.
Inside stores in Sao Paulo and Rio, distancing rules were followed and shoppers were required to wear protective masks. Temperatures were taken before people entered some malls.
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