PSG's Thiago Silva Says 'We're All Scared' Amid COVID-19 Quarantine in Brazil

Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has opened up on the situation in Brazil after he returned to his home country amid the COVID-19 outbreak on Wednesday.

Silva is in Rio de Janeiro after he, like compatriot and team-mate Neymar, returned to Brazil before France and its capital went into lockdown.

He told Brazilian outlet SporTV (h/t Goal's Tom Maston): "I am in quarantine. It is a situation which is not easy but the human being has a remarkable capacity for adaptation."

The defender said he'll try to do some running to maintain his fitness while he's forced to train at home.

"You will have to pay attention to food too," he added. "We're not on vacation. It's a moment of reflection. We're all scared of what's going on."

Silva said "France has not really managed to protect itself" from the outbreak despite President Emmanuel Macron employing containment measures inspired by those enforced in Italy, which has been the worst-affected European country.

He issued a warning to his compatriots to take the pandemic seriously:

"In Brazil, we may still have time. I hope that the crisis will not be as violent as in Europe. It is our hope.

"I hope that people will become aware of the seriousness of the situation as soon as possible. I hope the beaches are going to empty. ... 

"You have to stay at home hoping that everything will come back to normal as soon as possible."

All Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 games in France have been suspended following the outbreak of the coronavirus, and Brazilian football has made a similar decision:

France surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, and the death toll also jumped by 108 in 24 hours to 372.

Sports cycling has been banned, and people who leave their house to go walking or running have been told to do so for no more than 20 minutes and stay within one or two kilometres of their homes.

On Thursday, Brazil had 621 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, having been hit harder than any other Latin American country.

Infectious disease experts told Reuters on Friday that the spread of the virus in Brazil could soon worsen with winter approaching in South America.

Previous outbreaks in the country, such as the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009, are said to indicate that the colder temperatures could exacerbate the situation, although it is not yet known whether the coronavirus is seasonal or not.

Worldwide, there have been more than 244,500 confirmed cases, with a death toll of more than 10,000, per CNN.