Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue reopens to the public

Major tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro, including the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer, have reopened to the public after five months of temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Visitors are required to wear protective masks and keep a distance of two meters when viewing the statue of Christ the Redeemer. At the same time, tourists are no longer allowed to take photos in the prone position at the foot of the monument.

Located on the top of mount Corcovado at an altitude of 710 meters above sea level, the observation deck offers panoramic views of Rio de Janeiro. After a temporary ban in March on visiting attractions, the city authorities also opened the cable car to the Pan de Azúcar ("Sugar loaf") mountain, the AquaRio aquarium and the giant Rio Star Ferris wheel for tourists. 

According to official data, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where 17 million people live, almost 190,000 infected people were registered and more than 14,500 died from coronavirus infection.