Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer Statue Illuminated to Look Like a Doctor to Honor Health Care Workers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil has been turned into a beacon of hope amid the current situation with coronavirus. The 98-foot-tall statue has been illuminated to appear as a doctor, as well as serve as the backdrop for a number of physician portraits who are currently battling the pandemic on the front lines.

The use of the statue was noticed by TODAY Show, which shared a slideshow of a few of the images. Along with images of doctors and nurses wearing facemasks, the message of “Fique Em Casa,” which means “Stay Home,” appeared on one of the statue’s arms. The Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Orani Tempesta, also performed Easter Sunday mass at the base of the statue during the light show. Tempesta’s service also included a special tribute to medical professionals working to contain the pandemic.

This marks the second time that the statue, which was constructed between 1922 and 1931, has been used as a message during the pandemic. In March, the statue was illuminated in the flags of various countries after they’d reported their first cases of coronavirus.

Medical personnel have remained very visible in the midst of the pandemic, which as of Monday, has totaled 1,905,935 confirmed cases across the globe, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have also been 118,623 total deaths, with 446,336 recoveries.

On March 30, Brad Paisley joined forces with some of his contemporaries to share a “gratinune” for National Doctors Day. Krispy Kreme is also offering free donuts to those on the front lines all the way through Nurses Week, which begins on May 11. On the other side, to help convey the sheer magnitude of the situation, a number of medical workers in Italy shared photos of their faces in mid-March, which had been bruised after wearing their protective gear for hours-on-end.

However, there have been some downsides to the situation, unfortunately. With ongoing shortages of medical equipment being reported across the U.S., one doctor in Washington believes he was fired from his job after 17 years for speaking out on the matter — and requesting more equipment for him and his co-workers.

There are also numerous ways that people can help out doctors and nurses in this unprecedented time, which are detailed here.