Photos show eerie quiet as coronavirus containment disrupts daily life around the globe Efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus increase empty streets
March 17, 2020, 1:35 PM ET
• 8 min read
As efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus ramp up, activity in public places has dramatically decreased, resulting in scenes of eerie quiet in places normally buzzing with human activity.
Photojournalists are documenting nearly empty highways, public squares, school yards, boardwalks and beaches from Dubai and India to Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
Lockdowns and orders to close businesses, cancel gatherings and schools have created images of life changed -- at least temporarily.
Globally, there are more than 185,000 coronavirus cases and more than 7,300 deaths, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Berlin
A few shoppers walk through a nearly empty mall, March 17, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Maja Hitij/Getty Images Washington, D.C.
Zef Talahun jumps rope on the plaza in front of the Lincoln Memorial, normally filled with tourists, but now nearly empty due to the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 17, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images M1 in Britain
Light traffic on the M1 motorway as the number of coronavirus cases grow around the world, near Milton Keynes, Britain, March 17, 2020. Andrew Boyers/Reuters Miami Beach, Florida
An area of South Beach that the city closed in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus on March 16, 2020 in Miami Beach, Fla. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Karachi, Pakistan
A view of a deserted public park after authorities closed them to fight against the spread of the COVID-19, in Karachi, Pakistan, March 17, 2020. Shahzib Akber/EPA via Shutterstock Los Angeles
A man walks on an empty street past the closed Walt Disney Concert Hall amid the coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles, March 16, 2020. Etienne Lauren/EPA via Shutterstock Seattle
A nearly empty Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, March 16, 2020. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee ordered the closure of restaurants and bars, with exceptions for take out service, throughout the state in an attempt to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Stephen Brashear/EPA via Shutterstock Israel
An empty alley and shuttered shops are seen at Nazareth's Old City market, northern Israel March 15, 2020. Rami Ayyub/Reuters Stockholm
An almost deserted subway station in Stockholm, Sweden March 17, 2020. TT News Agency via Reuters Tehran, Iran
An empty playground at a closed school, following the outbreak of coronavirus, in Tehran, Iran March 17, 2020. West Asia News Agency via Reuters Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Empty volleyball courts in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 17, 2020. The United Arab Emirates shut down major tourism and cultural venues, including parks and beaches until the end of March in addition to suspending issuing visas to foreigners, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Mahmoud Khaled/EPA via Shutterstock Kolkata, India
A man rides his cycle in an empty park along the banks of the river Ganges after the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention, in Kolkata, India, March 17, 2020. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters Nice, France
A man looks at the Mediterranean sea on the "Promenade des Anglais" in the French Riviera city of Nice, as a strict lockdown requiring most people in France to remain at home came into effect on March 17, 2020. Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images