These images are haunted and haunting, like stills from movies about plagues and the apocalypse, but in some ways they are hopeful. They also remind us that beauty requires human interaction. Their present emptiness, a public health necessity, can conjure up dystopia, not progress, but, promisingly, it also suggests that, by heeding the experts and staying apart, we have not yet lost the capacity to come together for the common good.
Tokyo | When the world stops traveling.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia | Only the buildings needed guarding at a temple complex.
Yangon, Myanmar | Nothing to see here- Tourists used to come for the panoramic view.
Washington | Even cherry blossom season did not draw visitors to the Lincoln Memorial.
Tehran | Happy New Year- The Persian New Year comes to Iran.
Seattle | A hot dog was as unlikely as a visit to the Space Needle.
Seoul | South Korea’s outbreak was, for weeks, the worst outside China.
Siem Reap, Cambodia | No visits to Angkor Wat, and no Pub Street toasts afterward.
Srinagar, India | In a tourist season without tourists, boats without passengers.
Sydney, Australia | Sunset is normally prime photo-taking time at the Opera House.
São Paulo | The last picture show, or one of them, before theaters were shut.
San Francisco | California residents have been ordered to stay home.
Rome | The view from the Spanish Steps.
Rawalpindi, Pakistan | No standees, and few seat takers.
Paris | The view is still there, the viewers far less so.
Moscow | The seats were empty at rehearsal, and remained so for the online performance.
Munich | A subway without commuters
New Delhi | A day at the fair in Red Fort.
