With the lockdown well and fully in place in Malaysia as of Wednesday (March 18), the country has become somewhat of a ghost town.
CCTV footage of the Causeway and Second Link show nary a vehicle in sight — sort of an eerie scene to be honest, and a stark contrast to before the restricted movement order was announced by the Malaysian prime minister.
Over at Genting Highlands, footage taken by a guest leaving Resorts World Genting on Wednesday morning showed the popular hotel and casino almost completely empty. The mountaintop resort announced on Tuesday (March 17) that it will be temporarily closing operations till April 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPpoXZjsKac
It was the same story in the nation’s capital of Kuala Lumpur, where roads were almost devoid of vehicles, even along the usually bustling shopping district near Berjaya Times Square.
Malaysia First day Lockdown #malaysiafirstdaylockdown#firstdaylockdownmalaysia#lockdownmalaysia#stayhomechallenge #KawalanPergerakan #CoronavirusOutbreak#PerintahKawalanPergerakan pic.twitter.com/5KCRO5gFOt
— joy andrian (@joyandrian) March 17, 2020
Malls in the country have also gone dark with no shoppers in sight — a somewhat discomforting sight to behold. Is this what it’s like to be caught in a zombie apocalypse?
Posted by 百格 Pocketimes on Tuesday, 17 March 2020
This situation is likely to persist till the end of the month, when the lockdown is set to end.
Empty scenes across the globe
Similar scenes have greeted residents in cities across the globe as the coronavirus continues its spread. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia emptied Islam’s holiest site in Mecca in order to sterilise it.
https://twitter.com/tha_rami/status/1240127530117533698
Even the happiest place on earth has not been spared — Disneyland announced that it would be shutting the doors to its theme parks in the US until the end of March.
Posted by Disneyland Plan by The Happiest Blog on Earth on Saturday, 14 March 2020
I had to come see it for myself. This is a strange, sad day 😢 #Disneyland pic.twitter.com/y3vGzHiseG
— Lukey 🐢 (@Luke94) March 15, 2020
Shanghai Disneyland too will remain close “until further notice”.
Posted by ShanghaiEye on Monday, 16 March 2020
Here’s a look at other once-crowded tourist spots that are now eerily empty:
Bangkok:
Posted by Nepali Gurkha Social Activities & News on Sunday, 15 March 2020
https://twitter.com/phacharaphornp/status/1239199452818259968
Seoul:
Empty streets + pristine blue sky of Seoul pic.twitter.com/qxLEXYJOiv
— 장동우 Chang Dong-woo (@odissy) March 16, 2020
Tokyo:
https://twitter.com/ClsNyakundi/status/1239493395401396224
An empty street among virus fears in Tokyo's shopping district of Ginza.
Photos: When Everyone Stays Home—Empty Public Spaces During Coronavirus https://t.co/jggjvecC3Y pic.twitter.com/AgbRtDymc5
— siliconsnow (@siliconsnow) March 10, 2020
This is one of the busiest streets in Tokyo, look how empty it is. Corona virus slapssss. pic.twitter.com/BSFAgeWtfE
— Kier (@kthecore) March 11, 2020
Hong Kong:
This really brought the virus situation home to me. This is the baggage reclaim hall at Hong Kong Airport, it was empty. Our taxi driver had waited 4 hours for a fare and this was only the 2nd fare of his shift. The airport was the only place he could get a decent fare. pic.twitter.com/1AhQZeuodu
— colin wilson (@octheshrubber) March 14, 2020
New York City:
#CentralPark Deserted at noon. pic.twitter.com/4Hbhq53l73
— Per-Henrik Randsborg (@randsborg) March 17, 2020
Seeing #TimeSquare almost deserted feels so surreal…#COVIDー19 #coronavirus
pic.twitter.com/JGmnrP3GPa— Reality Index (@Reality_Index) March 16, 2020
New York City streets- deserted. pic.twitter.com/MOfQOwPs7p
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) March 16, 2020
Chennai:
Express avenue mall in #Chennai looks deserted after the closure! pic.twitter.com/IUEqYRcnsI
— Sanjeevee sadagopan (@sanjusadagopan) March 17, 2020
Rome & Vatican:
Empty again straight after Mass
Posted by TravelAngel on Monday, 16 March 2020
Earlier today, Pope Francis walked along the Via del Corso, normally one of Rome’s busiest streets, and made a pilgrimage to the church of St Marcellus to pray for an end to the #coronavirus pandemic.
Seeing the Holy Father walking around a deserted Rome is just incredible. pic.twitter.com/waPGYIinD0
— Fr Ryan Black (@FrRyanBlack) March 15, 2020
Deserted streets.
Usually traffic-jammed roads in Madrid, Rome and Tirana are virtually empty as major European cities go into #coronavirus lockdown pic.twitter.com/hTQ5bNoZom
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 16, 2020
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