Bolsonaro warns virus quarantines could ignite 'chaos'

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said that containment measures being taken to slow the spread of the new coronavirus could lead to chaos and looting, warning democracy was at risk.

The far-right leader has repeatedly lashed out at restrictive measures by local authorities against COVID-19, such as closing businesses and schools in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, saying they risked wrecking the Brazilian economy, Latin America's largest.

"Companies aren't producing anything. They can't pay their employees. And if the economy collapses, there won't be any way to pay public officials. We are facing chaos," Bolsonaro told journalists on Wednesday outside the presidential residence in Brasilia.

"We could end up with problems like people looting supermarkets. And the virus will still be there, too. So we'll have chaos plus the virus."