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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song
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.
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, U.S., March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Reuters photographers have captured the hush that has descended on some of the world's best-known sites on the same day, at noon.
(Writing by Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero A mobile phone showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of the United States Capitol, which is completely empty, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Washington, U.S., March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko SEARCH "COVID-19 NOON" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.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 March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/David W Cerny 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichA 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad A clock showing the time at noon, is pictured by The State Hermitage museum, in front of Palace square which is almost empty during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Jorge Silva A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of a beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem A clock on a building showing the time at noon on an almost empty square in Minsk, Belarus, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko 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, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su An almost empty intersection with low traffic is seen at noon on Jalan M.H. Thamrin, one of the main roads in Jakarta, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan SA photographer wearing a watch at noon shows the time while taking a photo of almost empty roads outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Mumbai, India, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas A man wearing a protective face mask, takes a photo with his mobile phone at noon, at Shibuya Crossing, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato The seafront Malecon is pictured next to an almost empty road at noon, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Havana, Cuba, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini A clock showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo at Emionu district during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Istanbul,Turkey, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of National Congress during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brasilia, Brazil, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino A clock shows the time at noon, as a man walks near Cape Town's city hall, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Cape Town, South Africa, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of an empty road at Rajpath, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of an empty road at Rajpath, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis The White House is seen from 16th St NW in the middle of the day as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Washington, U.S., March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Leah MillisThe White House can is seen from 16th St NW in the middle of the day as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Washington, U.S., March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis
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