Brasilia, Apr 28 (IANS): Football could be one of the sectors that could resume in Brazil sooner than the others, according to a senior official in the country's government. Productivity and competition secretary Carlos da Costa said that however there is still no date for the resumption of business activities.

He also stated that football matches will be restarted only without spectators.

"Football is an important sector that needs support, but the resumption will be done in a controlled manner. The games must return to closed doors, without public, and following protocols. We want to respect people's lives first," da Cost told reporters in Brasilia.

More than 66,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus has been reported in the country and more than 4500 have died. However, scientists say that the number of infections in Brazil could in fact be over 1 million.

The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) has suspended all football matches since March 15. Local media reports state that the CBF had already told clubs to not expect a return to matches any time soon.

The economic impact of the pandemic is expected to be significant with experts predicting the biggest crash in history due to the shutdown that has been imposed. Da Costa said that the government is looking to increase testing in the coming days.