SEATTLE—As of Friday, the coronavirus outbreak is officially a national emergency. But while most Americans are only just becoming familiar with social distancing and quarantining, Washington state has been dealing with the crisis since the first U.S. case was discovered there on Jan. 20. The Seattle area, in particular, has become ground zero in the United States after the country's first death from the pandemic on Feb. 29. Now, the buzzing birthplace of Starbucks and home of tech giants like Amazon has, in large part, shut down, foreshadowing what could come for the rest of the country.

In Washington’s most populated city, large events and entire sports seasons are being canceled or postponed; schools, libraries, community centers and the zoo are closing; some hospitals and prisons have banned visitors; and public health officials are urging businesses to allow employees to work remotely. Governor Jay Inslee has banned gatherings of 250 or more people in three counties, including Seattle’s King County. A usually bustling city is now eerily silent and still. Over the past week, Seattle-based photographer Chona Kasinger documented the ghost town that it’s become.


Text by Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna.