Almost the whole world is being cautious about COVID-19. One of the outcomes is that international travel has come to a near-complete halt, leaving many public squares, historical locations, touristic centers and other normally busy places almost completely deserted.
Few venture outside these days and those that do take their own precautions, often wearing masks. Here's a look at different places in the world before and after the outbreak.
Many tourist sites in Italy are now completely empty – one of them the Trevi Fountain in Rome, which is usually packed with people. The pandemic killed 475 people in Italy from Tuesday to Wednesday, the worst single day for any country. At this rate, Italy risks overtaking China as the country with the most deaths from the virus. It has recorded nearly 3,000 fatalities in over 35,000 cases of infection.
Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican.
The usually bustling Times Square is now almost completely free of traffic. New York City's Broadway theaters will need to close by 5 p.m. Thursday after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on gatherings of 500 people or more amid the growing coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. currently has more than 9,000 cases and a total of 160 deaths.
Another big touristic attraction is, of course, Paris, with its Eiffel Tower. A strict lockdown requiring most people in France to remain at home came into effect at midday on March 17, prohibiting all but essential outings in a bid to curb the coronavirus spread.
Moscow's Red Square shares the same fate. Russia currently has 258 cases with its first death occurring on Thursday.
In Spain, the situation is similar. The Plaza Mayor Square lies empty with its cafes closed. With more than 17,000 cases, the situation in the country is severe. A total of 803 people have died of the virus there.
Tourists sparsely visit India's famous Taj Mahal. Similar to Russia, the country has around 200 cases with a total of four deaths.
With Turkey acting on measures to avoid the further spread of the virus, its people stay home, leaving İstiklal Street in Istanbul empty. Turkey has almost 200 coronavirus cases and has recorded three fatalities as of Thursday.
