Brasilia, March 19 (IANS): People across Brazil expressed anger at President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the coronavirus pandemic by banging pots and pans together on balconies, it was reported on Thursday.

Millions of protesters in the major cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro appeared at windows on Wednesday evening calling for the Bolsonaro to step down as coronavirus cases in Brazil has increased to 428 with four fatalities, the BBC said in a report.

It was the biggest protest against Bolsonaro's government to date.

Wednesday's loud protests began during a televised statement by the President in the afternoon, then resumed with more intensity at an agreed time later in the evening.

People in tall buildings and houses across the country banged empty pots, switched their lights on and off and shouted "Bolsonaro out!".

The President, who has previously dismissed precautions taken against the novel coronavirus as "hysteria" and "fantasy", has been criticised for his response to the deadly outbreak.

He has been tested for the virus twice, but said on both occasions that the results were negative.

However 14 people who travelled with him to Florida to meet US President Donald Trump have tested positive for the virus.