Due to the health crisis and the development of the French and international situation, the Festival de Cannes will… https://t.co/JCDwShLw73 — Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) 1584645451000

Empty Mecca, No Devotees At Siddhivinayak: The World Turns Into A Ghost Town Post-Coronavir...







Autoplay Autoplay 1 of 7 Earth Goes Off To Sleep The COVID-19 pandemic has not only severely impacted global health but has changed how our world looks completely. Biggest metropolitan cities which were known for their fast-paced lifestyle have now come to a standstill. Well-known tourist spots and religious sites - be it the New York Times Square or the Holy Mecca - which were thronged by devotees and tourists, now lie deserted.



Several netizens have called the phenomenon ‘earth taking a break’. The images of the deserted streets appear eerily similar to a post-apocalyptic world.



Here are some images which show how the world has changed after the coronavirus outbreak. No Devotees At Kaaba The Holy Mecca in Saudi Arabia is a site of monumental importance in Islam. The holy site, Kaaba, the cubic building which used to be surrounded by devotees offering prayers, now lies deserted.



Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that mosques would no longer accept worshippers for the customary five daily prayers or the weekly Friday prayer, exceptional measures intended to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.



The crowd, however, has reduced and only a small number of worshippers are performing the ritual called ‘Tawaf’ where they circumambulate the Kaaba. Swans Return To Venice Canals Italy is one of the countries besides Iran and South Korea that is the worst affected by the pandemic. The country is in a state of lockdown and most are quarantined in their homes.



For the unversed, the city of Venice is known for the popular gondola rides and its canals. A Twitter user recently posted the images of swans which have returned to the canals in the wake of reduction in traffic.



The user also shared images of ducks making an appearance in the fountains of Rome and have found a new home. Times Square Loses Its Spark The iconic New York Times square is known for its giant hoardings, billboards and gigantic displays. It is often thronged by a large number of tourists and New Yorkers, but amid the COVID-19 outbreak, it lies deserted.



The images look eerie particularly because New York, known as the ‘city that never sleeps’, seems to have come to a halt.



The Big Apple is also known for its nightlife, bars and restaurants, which also seem to have come to a standstill. Wuhan Becomes A Ghost Town The epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, lies deserted even after 3 months of the outbreak. Over the last few days, drone footage from the Chinese province has surfaced, which shows the virtually empty town, with deserted streets and markets.



The scary images seem to be taken from a dystopian film and shows how the lines between the real and the reel are often blurred.

CANNES: The Cannes Film Festival has been postponed to contain the spread of the coronavirus The event, which was scheduled for May 12 through 23, might be shifted to June or July, the organisers said."Several options are considered in order to preserve its running, the main one being a simple postponement," the organisers' statement said."As soon as the development of the French and international health situation will allow us to assess the real possibility, we will make our decision known, in accordance with our ongoing consultation with the French Government and Cannes City Hall as well as with the Festival's Board Members, Film industry professionals and all the partners of the event," they added.The festival was expected to attract about 40,000 attendees, including delegates to the film market that operates alongside the screening schedule.Filmmaker-activist Spike Lee, who was selected as the first black president of the festival's jury, welcomed the organisers' decision."The stuff that we love has to take a back seat: movies, TV, sports, the NBA is a global sport, baseball. So many things have been postponed, and I agree with this move," Lee told Variety.The director added that if the festival happens on another date in future he would be available to take on his role as jury president."Let's not forget this is the world's biggest film festival, the world's biggest stage for cinema and I'll be the first black president of the jury."Speculations that the 73rd edition of the premiere movie gala would be cancelled or postponed were doing the rounds since March 8, when France brought in restrictions on mass gatherings, limiting them to 1,000 people, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.However, festival president Pierre Lescure had said last week that he was "reasonably optimistic" the 2020 event would go ahead.Total 372 people have died in France because of the deadly virus which originated in China's Wuhan city in December.In past one month various events, festivals, shooting schedules and movie releases have been called off due to the COVID-19 virus, that has claimed over 9800 lives and infected more than 2,32,650 in 150 countries and territories.