With the coronavirus keeping people in their homes across the world, Reuters sent out its photographers to capture the view in cities across the globe at the same time – 12 noon on 31st March. You can see the results here…
Lockdowns to halt the spread of the coronavirus have brought an uncanny silence to some of the world’s busiest places. Transport hubs that should be teeming with travellers such as New York’s Grand Central station or Istanbul’s Eminonu ferry docks are all but deserted.
Our best loved tourist sites or promenades, the Malecon seafront in the Cuban capital Havana, the Damascus Gate entrance to Jerusalem and the Old Town Square in the Czech capital Prague are empty of visitors and the traders that live from them, as borders close and tourists stay home.
Cairo’s Tahrir Square and Kiev’s Maidan, squares where just a few years ago people swarmed in their masses to bring about revolution, are clear.
Reuters photographers have captured the hush that has descended on some of the world’s best-known sites on the same day, at noon.
A mobile phone showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of an almost empty road with low traffic, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Aly Song
An almost empty intersection with low traffic is seen at noon on Jalan MH Thamrin, one of the main roads in Jakarta, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Willy Kurniawan S
A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of Merlion Park, which is almost empty, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Singapore, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Edgar Su
A clock on a building showing the time at noon on an almost empty square in Minsk, Belarus, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Vasily Fedosenko
A clock showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, also known as The Grand Palace), is closed for visitors due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, stands next to an empty road in Bangkok, Thailand, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Jorge Silva
A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of Damascus Gate, as it is in front of an empty staircase, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Jerusalem’s Old City, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Ammar Awad
A clock showing the time at noon is seen near almost empty streets at Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kiev, Ukraine, on 31st March. PICTURe: Reuters/Gleb Garanich
The clock on Spasskaya tower showing the time at noon, is pictured next to Moscow’s Kremlin, and St Basil’s Cathedral as they stand on an empty square, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Moscow, Russia, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov
A clock showing the time at noon, is pictured next to closed shops at Stock im Eisen square, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Vienna, Austria, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Leonhard Foeger
A clock showing the time at noon, is pictured on a building, next to almost empty streets at Old Town Square during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Prague, Czech Republic, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/David W Cerny
A man holds a pocket watch at noon, as he shows the time while posing for photo at an almost empty market near the Imam Ali shrine, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Najaf, Iraq, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Alaa al-Marjani
A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in an almost empty area around Martyrs’ Square during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Beirut, Lebanon on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo as people walk past Ring Road Central Street, which is almost empty during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Accra, Ghana, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Francis Kokoroko
A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of Bolivar avenue, which is almost empty, during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Caracas, Venezuela, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Manaure Quintero
A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of Tahrir Square during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Cairo, Egypt, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
The clock strikes noon at the main concourse of the Grand Central Terminal, which is almost empty during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, US, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Andrew Kelly
A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of the Roman amphitheater, which is empty during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Amman, Jordan, on 31st March. PICTURE: Reuters/Muhammad Hamed
