Before-and-after photos show how fear of the coronavirus has emptied out US tourist attractions and other usually crowded places

• Once-crowded theme parks, stadiums, and venues have emptied out or closed down across the US as cities and organizations rush to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
• On March 15, 2020 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new coronavirus health guidelines recommending that gatherings of 50 people or more be postponed for the next eight weeks across the US.
• Sporting leagues including the NBA and MLB have suspended games, colleges are transitioning their classes online, and many companies are requiring employees to work from home.
• As of March 16, at least 4,040 coronavirus cases have been reported across 49 states in the US.
• These before-and-after photos show how major attractions across the US have emptied out as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

BEFORE: California’s Disneyland was the second-most-visited theme park in the world in 2018 with 18.7 million visitors.

Source: LA Times; Aecom

AFTER: Disneyland shuttered its doors on March 14 for the first time since 9/11 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The park will remain closed for the remainder of the month.

Source: New York Times

BEFORE: Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, typically draws large crowds for baseball games and can seat 41,915 at capacity.

Source: Ballparks of Baseball

AFTER: Oracle Park stands empty on March 12 after Major League Baseball canceled what remained of spring training. The MLB also delayed the start of regular season, originally scheduled for March 26, by two weeks.

Source: CBS Sports

BEFORE: Pike Place Market is one of Seattle's most iconic destinations, attracting more than 10 million visitors per year.

Source: Pike Place Market

AFTER: The market has seen a decrease in crowds as workers, tourists, and locals stay home. Fish monger Isaac Behar told the Seattle Times that the market has been "exceedingly slow."

Source: Seattle Times

BEFORE: Since opening in 1997, Broadway's The Lion King has entertained over 15.7 million theater-goers.

Source: Broadway World

AFTER: Following New York's ban on gatherings over 500 people, Broadway productions halted on March 12. They will remain closed through April 12.

Source: Broadway.com

BEFORE: Columbia University in New York enrolls over 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Source: Columbia University

AFTER: On March 9, the university canceled two days of classes. Columbia later announced that it would conduct classes online for the rest of the spring semester.

Source: Business Insider

BEFORE: The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, is free to visit and draws nearly two million visitors per year.

Source: National Zoo

AFTER: The Smithsonian Institution closed the National Zoo as well as its 19 museums on March 14 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Smithsonian has not yet announced a re-opening date.

Source: Smithsonian

Read more:

Coronavirus live updates: Here's everything we know.

Columbia, Harvard, Ohio State, and other major US colleges and universities that have switched to remote classes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus

Here are the latest major events that have been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak

The Louvre, the Met, and multiple Disney theme parks are closed because of the coronavirus. Here are all of the major museum and theme park closures so far.