How Coronavirus Emptied The World’s Streets

As millions of people around the world lock themselves indoors in order to prevent transmission of the dreaded coronavirus, the world outside looks eerily abandoned. The absence of humans and smoke belching vehicles is having a profound effect on the environment, not seen, perhaps, since the Industrial Age began. The atmosphere has become cleaner with significant drop in nitrogen dioxide pollution. The normally polluted waters of the canals of Venice have become so clear that one can see the bottom. In Sassari, the second-largest town of Sardinia, wild boars are roaming the streets, and in Rome’s many fountains ducks are taking advantage of the lack of tourists. Aside from these occasional visitors, public spaces across the world have become terribly devoid of life.

A scene from Wuhan, the epicenter of Covid-19.

Fontana di Trevi, Rome.

Prague.

Venice

Moscow underground.

Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin. Photo:

The Brandenburg Gate in berlin. Photo: nope_just_fish/Reddit

Poland. Photo: EPA-EFE / GREGORY Michałowska

Moscow.

Times Square, New York

Piccadilly Circus, London, on 21 March 2020. Photo: fridericvs/Reddit

Brooklyn Bridge

Rome, Piazza di Spagna.

Quiet streets in the Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai. Photo: REUTERS/Aly Song

The Eiffel Tower is closed for an indefinite time. Photo: NthAttempt/Reddit

Pigeons thrives in the Plaza de Armas in La Paz, Bolivia. Photo: Aizar Raldes / AFP

Empty Fell street in San Francisco, 21 March 2020. Photo: brodil/Reddit

Marine Drive, one of the busiest streets of Mumbai is completely deserted on 22 March 2020, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 14-hour country-wide lockdown. Photo: silent_christ/Reddit