The coronavirus outbreak continues to grow across the globe, with 118,748 confirmed cases around the globe, along with 4,284 deaths. Almost 70% of the cases have been in China, but Italy has seen a rise in COVID-19 infections, and the death toll (631) in the European nation is the highest in the world—besides China.

We’ve talked about the effect of the outbreak on various industries, with major companies closing offices as precautionary measures. Airlines are also suffering from a sudden disinterest in travelling, and there has also been the development of some strange, new genres of content.

Cases have been reported in 112 countries across the globe at the time of writing, and a common denominator across various regions is the deserted nature of public places. Precautionary/preventive measures have been taken, and many concerned individuals have also started to avoid crowded, public places—which has led to some pretty weird images.

The Atlantic recently shared a compilation of images that show public places around the world in light of the COVID-19 crisis; the images look a little weird, to be honest. A football match played out in an utterly empty stadium, the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy without a single soul in the square, and empty shelves at supermarkets.

Have a look (click to enlarge):

Bandar Aldandani / AFP / Getty

Piero Cruciatti / AFP / Getty

Massimo Rumi / Barcroft Media / Getty

Seth Wenig / AP

Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty

Antonio Masiello / Getty

Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty

Eugene Hoshiko / AP

Manuel Silvestri / Reuters

Claudio Furlan / LaPresse via AP

Charly Triballeau / AFP / Getty

Yara Nardi / Reuters Source: The Atlantic

To me, it looks like the images almost have an apocalyptic theme—tourists spots that are utterly empty, lecturers are recording lessons in empty classrooms, and even public transport without any passengers. Undoubtedly, the coronavirus outbreak is having a severe impact on the global economy, as evidenced by the photos.

Marco Di Lauro / Getty

Stefano Mazzola / Awakening / Getty

Marco Di Lauro / Getty

Edgar Su / Reuters

Chris Putnam / Barcroft Media / Getty

Mladen Antonov / AFP / Getty

Vidar Ruud / NTB Scanpix / AFP / Getty

Alfredo Falcone / LaPresse / AP

Jessie Wardarski / AP

Mladen Antonov / AFP / Getty

Kyodo / Reuters



Yara Nardi / Reuters Source: The Atlantic

As it stands, no fatalities have been reported in Malaysia at the time of writing. However, the number of confirmed cases has risen to 129 as of 10am, 11 March 2020. For now, the public is advised by the Ministry of Health to take precautionary measures: wear a face mask in crowded places, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap, avoid crowded places, and remember to cover your mouth when coughing. In general, you should also avoid touching wild animals and sick people as well.

[ VIA ]