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SAO PAULO: Brazilian cities and states have been imposing a new round of restrictions in a bid to contain a surge of Covid-19 cases threatening to overwhelm their already stretched hospitals.

Brazil, whose death toll passed 250,000 Thursday, is struggling to deal with a rising tide of infections that has pushed intensive care units close to the brink in a worrying number of flashpoints.

The country continues to have a piecemeal response to the new coronavirus, with individual cities and states setting their own policies in the face of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s repeated attacks on restrictive measures and face masks.

Sao Paulo state, population 40 million, this week ordered bars and restaurants to close at 8pm.

Several cities have also imposed curfews.

The southeastern state of Parana closed non-essential businesses and imposed an 8pm to 5am curfew from Friday.

Nearby Rio Grande do Sul adopted the same measure, starting Monday.

The capital, Brasilia, has ordered schools and all nonessential businesses closed from Sunday.

The northeastern state of Bahia meanwhile closed nonessential retail stores.

“Our health system is about to collapse,” Bahia Governor Rui Costa said Thursday.

“Brazil is going to be mired in chaos in two weeks. The problem is getting worse across the country .... We’ve never had a situation like this.”

Brazil registered its highest weekly death toll of the pandemic Friday; an average of 1,153 deaths per day.