Getty Image / Tayfun Coskun
While New York City hasn’t adopted any sort of ‘shelter in place’ edict like San Francisco has, it has shut down public schools, movie theatres and gyms as well as placed restrictions on bars and restaurants limiting them only to take-out and delivery.
With these restrictions and the numbers of confirmed cases continuing to grow in New York and New Jersey, the entire city has turned into a ghost town as people continue to work from home and stay inside.
Photos of just how empty some of the most popular places around the city, particularly in Manhattan, have been going viral. Some of the places are almost unrecognizable due to the crowds being so small.
Times Square
The lights are still on, but nobody is there. I personally think Times Square is the worst place on the planet, but I bet it’s actually kind of nice without four million people standing around you and guys dressed up as Elmo trying to hustle you for a dollar.
In my 15 years walking through #TimesSquare in the early morning I’ve never seen it like this. No people- No cars #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/N4YVZHxqQ4
— Bill Karins 💧 (@BillKarins) March 16, 2020
Crazy. Having only moved here 5 years ago, I haven't seen Times Square this empty on a nice day. This was 9AM Monday morning. #nycshutdown #CoronavirusOutbreak pic.twitter.com/yI4Lmhj1j6
— Johnny K (@TheJohnnyK) March 16, 2020
8th Ave and Columbus Circle Subway Stop
It’s incredible, and also frightening, to see exactly two people at any subway stop in New York City at any given time, but that’s exactly what this picture shows.
Midtown #NYC pretty empty right now, save for a few straggler tourists. 8th Ave and Columbus Circle trains stations ghostly. #coronavirusnyc #nycshutdown All restaurants and bars dark, even some for takeout. Painful to see. pic.twitter.com/SKpoTCOEQp
— Bill Buster (@wtb6chiny) March 16, 2020
https://twitter.com/eneru/status/1238307091233849345?s=20
The High Line in Chelsea
The walking path has officially been closed recently to improve social distancing efforts. It’s usually covered up with people trying to capture the perfect Instagram photo. It’s one of the coolest spots in the city when it’s not overly crowded, but nobody will be enjoying the walk in the near future.
I’ve never seen the High Line so empty. All shutdown. No people watching while I WFH. #nycshutdown pic.twitter.com/uqCy90K4Jf
— Stephanie (@StephieV20) March 16, 2020
Grand Central Station
These may be the craziest photos of all. For anyone that’s ever been to Grand Central Station, you know just how wild and crazy this place usually is at all hours of the day. It also looks extremely clean, which is nice.
Grand Central Terminal during this am’s rush hour … pic.twitter.com/HnGxyJXMIs
— jonathan dienst (@jonathan4ny) March 17, 2020
Grand Central today. #nycshutdown pic.twitter.com/skkLFkxdkp
— Kacy Burdette (@KacyBurdette) March 16, 2020
Apple Maps Screenshot
I shared this screenshot from Apple Maps just before 8:30 PM on Monday night and as you can see there wasn’t one red line of traffic in, out, or around Manhattan at all. This is not normal.
Wow. Not one single red line of traffic in, out or around Manhattan. pic.twitter.com/yEkuTdupx8
— Mark Harris (@itismarkharris) March 17, 2020