The mayor of Houston has been mocked for telling criminals to “chill”, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, mayor Sylvester Turner said the safest place for criminals to be during the outbreak is at home.

“Until the coronavirus is resolved, criminals take a break. Okay. Stay home. Stay home and don’t commit any crimes,” said the mayor.

“That way they stay safe and out of jail, and police officers will stay safe and go home to their families. Okay, everybody chill. Crooks, criminals, you chill.”

Mr Turner added: “Wait ‘til the coronavirus is over and then we’ll all be okay.”

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Twitter users mocked the mayor for his comments, with @Jeff_mortensen responding: “He should ask the corona virus to go away too”.

User @phillyarcher​ tweeted: “’Chill. Wait til the Corona virus is over.’ Does that mean its open season for criminals and crooks once this pandemic abates?”

“He did it guys ... Democrat Mayor of Houston has put an end to all crime by simply telling criminals to “take a break” and “chill” A truly amazing approach, hopefully you can all sleep better knowing the great actions Mayor Sylvester Turner is taking,” commented @stclairashley.

During the press conference, Mr Turner confirmed 53 new cases of Covid-19 had been reported in Houston.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 175,067 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 3,415.

In Texas, the project reported that there is upwards of at least 2877 cases and 38 deaths.