- Amid travel bans and restrictions, many airports, trains, and roads across the US and world are empty.
- In the United States, President Trump announced all travel from Europe (except the UK and Ireland) by non-US citizens will be suspended for 30 days.
- Italy is facing a nationwide lockdown, and citizens have been told to stay at home and avoid all non-essential travel.
- China, where COVID-19 originated, was the first country to go into lockdown. The extreme travel restrictions and resulting empty roads have contributed to a huge drop in air pollution.
Transport hubs around the world are starting to look like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Devoid of their usual travelers, the once bustling centers have an unusual and eerie appearance.
Italy, one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, is under a strict lockdown in which people are only allowed to leave their homes when it is absolutely necessary. Any Italian who wants to travel has to get permission from authorities.
China is home to two of the most populated cities in the world, Shanghai and Beijing. The airports in both cities are almost completely vacant, and many highways can be seen without a single car.
Take a look at these photos that capture metropolitan abandonment in the wake of coronavirus.
Many airlines have been suspending flights to China, leaving Beijing Daxing International Airport a ghost town.
More than 100 airlines have canceled some or all flights to China. Responding to a lack of customer demand and travel restrictions in China and internationally, airlines like Delta, United Airlines, and American Airlines have stopped service to China, and many other countries as well.
This train in Beijing has hardly any passengers.
Beijing enforced a 14-day quarantine on international travel as cases of coronavirus continue to increase in Europe and the United States.
In Shanghai, multi-lane highways don't have a single car.
Shanghai is China's most populous city, with an estimated 27,058,479 people, according to the World Population review.
It's the same with this intersection in Shanghai.
According to this map of worldwide cases of COVID-19, there have been 344 cases in Shanghai, with three deaths. There are still 20 active cases.
Ferries are also a popular mode of transport in Shanghai, but this one's completely vacant.
Shanghai-based photographer Nicoco captured this image. She told Insider in February, "There is a lot of anxiety in the air. The virus has robbed Chinese people from what should be the happiest time of year."
There's hardly anyone at this train station in Tokyo, Japan.
East Japan Railway Company said it believes the reduction in passenger traffic due to coronavirus put revenue down by ¥11 billion in February. The company's president, Yuji Fukasawa, said, "We'll see a bigger impact in March."
There's not a soul at the arrivals terminal in this photo taken at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
Thailand's public health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has cautioned citizens against traveling. He warned against buying flights, and said, "Even though tickets are cheap, it could be your last holiday."
Bangkok airport's departures terminal is full of empty seats.
On March 12, Thai officials reported 11 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number up to 70 nationwide.
In New Jersey, Newark Airport lines are almost non-existent amid growing fears of air travel.
On March 11, President Trump announced that foreign nationals from Europe (except the UK and Ireland) will be barred from entering the United States for the next 30 days.
Business class seats on this United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Tokyo were all without passengers.
The airline recently said it is canceling 10% of domestic flights and 20% of international ones in the coming months in response to coronavirus.
Airport stores at Los Angeles' LAX are empty as flight numbers continue to dwindle.
A CDC contractor at LAX tested positive for coronavirus after screening incoming passengers for the illness.
New Rochelle has become a coronavirus hotspot in New York, and the state has created a "containment area" around the city.
New Rochelle citizen Eli Epstein told CNN what it's like living in the containment area: "It's a mixture of boredom and anxiety. We're cut off from our lives, our friends, our extended families. We're stuck at home."
In Europe, Italy has been the most affected country, and has gone into lockdown. This empty street in Milan shows how few people are leaving their homes.
Italians are only supposed to leave their homes when they absolutely need to. Stores like pharmacies and grocery stores have remained open.
This masked traveler looks to be one of the only people at the Milan Central Train Station.
To travel, Italians must get special permission from police. Public airports and train stations are still in operation, but only those who have been cleared by police may use them.
In Rome, this parking lot at Fiumicino Airport has just a few cars.
On March 12, officials announced that Rome will close one of the two terminals in its main airport starting March 17.
Trains in Rome are almost empty as people are remaining at home.
On March 9, the number of confirmed cases in Italy surpassed 9,100 and the death toll reached 463.
The same goes for the streets in Rome. A lone bicycle is the only thing parked at this taxi stand.
Citizens have been told not to go out and socialize. Sporting events, schools, universities, and even mass have been shut down across the country.
In Naples, Italy, Mount Vesuvius can be seen in the background of a car-less street.
Flavia Riccardo, a researcher in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Italian National Institute of Health, told TIME that there could have been cases of coronavirus in Italy before they were diagnosed. "This happened right when we were having our peak of influenza and people were presenting with influenza symptoms," Riccardo said.
Things aren't any better in Venice, where this lonely gondolier is the only one on the Grand Canal.
The city's popular carnival festival was cancelled last month and many museums, including the Leonardo da Vinci museum, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Palazzo Ducale in Piazza San Marco, and the Museo del Vetro have all been closed until further notice due to the virus.