Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro wearing a protective face mask arrives to a press statement to announce federal judiciary measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Brasilia, Brazil March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The coronavirus outbreak in Brazil is expected to peak in three or four months, President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday, adding that the country should then return to normality in six to seven months’ time.

Speaking via a broadcast on his Facebook page on the day Brazil’s death toll from the outbreak rose to seven, Bolsonaro said his government is taking actionable measures to fight it, and that his role is not to cause panic in the country.

(This story corrects time before Brazil will return to normal to 6-7 months instead of 7-8 months).