City Sleeps: A look at the empty NYC streets amid the virus
Posted March 23, 2020 7:00 am
A desolate Times Square still lit up with no one on the streets. The usually bustling Grand Central Terminal empty, except for a lone traveler. Only a few people snapping selfies on the Brooklyn Bridge, instead of the horde of commuters and tourists that usually venture across the iconic span.
Efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus have completely altered the usual New Yorker way of life, grinding the 'œcity that never sleeps'ť to a halt in the last week after it became one of the nation's epicenters for the fast-spreading virus.
Nearly 2,000 people have been hospitalized in the state with the virus and 114 have died, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday. More than 15,000 have tested positive statewide, including 9,000 in New York City.
The handful people still roaming around the streets will become even fewer starting at 8 p.m. Sunday, when a new state order takes effect requiring all nonessential employees to stay home. Nonessential gatherings of individuals of any size or for any reason have also been canceled or postponed.
The impact on the usually bustling city were visible throughout Manhattan.
The Charging Bull, a popular tourist attraction near the Stock Exchange normally surrounded by tourists, stood alone with no one in sight. Once-packed subway cars had only a few passengers, almost all wearing face masks.
And a row of Broadway theaters were still illuminated even though they are shuttered until mid-April, a sign that the show will go on.
A lone pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks past the New York Stock Exchange as COVID-19 concerns empty a typically bustling downtown area, Saturday, March 21, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced sweeping orders Friday that will severely restrict gatherings of any size for the state's more than 19 million residents and will require workers in nonessential businesses to stay home. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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A lone pedestrian walks down Broadway past the Charging Bull statue as COVID-19 concerns empty a typically bustling downtown area, Saturday, March 21, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced sweeping orders Friday that will severely restrict gatherings of any size for the state's more than 19 million residents and will require workers in nonessential businesses to stay home. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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A traveler stands at the information desk at Grand Central Terminal, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in New York. As of Sunday, nearly 2,000 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the state of New York and 114 have died, officials said. More than 15,000 have tested positive statewide, including 9,000 in New York City. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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A solitary subway customer stands on an empty platform in the morning hours as COVID-19 concerns drives down public gatherings, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in New York. As of Sunday, nearly 2,000 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the state of New York and 114 have died, officials said. More than 15,000 have tested positive statewide, including 9,000 in New York City. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Subway riders wear protective masks and gloves on a sparsely populated car during morning hours due to COVID-19 concerns that are driving down ridership, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo tightened work-from-home rules Thursday as confirmed cases continued to climb in New York, an expected jump as testing becomes more widespread. But he stressed that roadblocks and martial law for New York City were merely rumors. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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A single vehicle heads downtown along the west side highway as COVID-19 concerns empties a typically busy thoroughfare, Saturday, March 21, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced sweeping orders Friday that will severely restrict gatherings of any size for the state's more than 19 million residents and will require workers in nonessential businesses to stay home. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The Associated Press
A pedestrian walks their dog through a quiet street, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. As of Sunday, nearly 2,000 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the state of New York, and 114 have died, officials said. More than 15,000 have tested positive statewide, including 9,000 in New York City. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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In this March 16, 2020 photo, Ines Tshiyomba, center, poses as her friend Garethe Mawonso takes her photo on the Brooklyn Bridge which is normally packed with tourists and commuters in New York. As of Sunday, nearly 2,000 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the state of New York and 114 have died, officials said. More than 15,000 have tested positive statewide, including 9,000 in New York City. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
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A security guard walks through a sparsely populated transit hub in the downtown financial district as retail stores remain shuttered due to COVID-19 concerns, Saturday, March 21, 2020, in New York. As of Sunday, nearly 2,000 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the state of New York and 114 have died, officials said. More than 15,000 have tested positive statewide, including 9,000 in New York City. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The Associated Press
In this March 21, 2020 photo, a lone pedestrian walks his dog past the New York Stock Exchange as COVID-19 concerns empty a typically bustling downtown area in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced sweeping orders Friday that will severely restrict gatherings of any size for the state's more than 19 million residents and will require workers in nonessential businesses to stay home. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The Associated Press
In this March 16, 2020 file photo, a woman walks through a lightly trafficked Times Square in New York, March 16, 2020. As of Sunday, nearly 2,000 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the state of New York and 114 have died, officials said. More than 15,000 have tested positive statewide, including 9,000 in New York City. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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The Minskoff Theatre is shuttered Thursday, March 12, 2020, in New York, near Times Square after Broadway theaters closed following New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's banning of gatherings of more than 500 people over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. As positive tests for COVID-19 have risen daily over the last week in New York City, it's streets and popular landmarks have steadily emptied and grown quiet of tourist and locals. As of Sunday morning, nearly 2,000 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the state of New York and 114 have died, officials said. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
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In this Tuesday, March 17 photo, rain clouds hang over the downtown Manhattan skyline in New York. As of Sunday, nearly 2,000 people with the virus have been hospitalized in the state of New York and 114 have died, officials said. More than 15,000 have tested positive statewide, including 9,000 in New York City. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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