Daily life around the world has been brought to a halt after the outbreak of COVID-19. The global toll of infected people has crossed a million, with more than 50,000 dead, just two months after the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019. These numbers are on the rise and keep changing daily. Governments around the world are taking action in the form of country, state, or county-wide lockdowns, and school and office closures, urging people to stay indoors and practise social distancing to “flatten the curve” of the pandemic. This has meant a complete emptying of previously crowded and overcrowded spots. And this has left many top travel destinations or famous sites, which were once bustling hubs, deserted. It’s therefore evident that world landmarks before and after the coronavirus outbreak would be drastically different.
The outbreak has ravaged the travel and tourist industry. It has been predicted by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) that the number of international tourist arrivals is expected to drop sharply this year. The UN says arrivals are now projected to fall by 1-3% in 2020, leading to losses of $30-50 billion (approximately INR 23bn- 38bn) in international tourism receipts.
Also read: 12 exciting things to do once this pandemic is over
Here Is A Series Of Photos That Show The Impact Of The Coronavirus Outbreak On Major Landmarks Worldwide:
Then, The Kaaba (At The Grand Mosque Of Mecca), Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
St Peter’s Square (Vatican City) During The Weekly Angelus Prayer, Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
Tokyo’s Sensoji Temple, Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
St Mark’s Square In Venice Overrun With Tourists, Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
Disneyland Resort In Hong Kong, Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
Milan’s Piazza Del Duomo, Before COVID-19
After Covid-19
Tiananmen Square In Beijing, Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
The Roman Colosseum, Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
New York’s Grand Central Station, Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
Venice’s Popular San Marco Square, Before COVID-19
After COVID-19
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Coronavirus
Due to the countrywide lockdowns, and therefore changes in everyday behaviour and patterns, there has been a major impact on the environment as well. Some are positive, such as a drop in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while others are negative, such as growing piles of possibly infected waste like tissue or old face masks.
Along with a formidable death toll, the pandemic is putting up to 50 million jobs in the global travel and tourism sector at risk, as warned by The World Travel and Tourism Council. Beyond the travel sector, it also spells a vast economic fallout, with countries already recording widespread job losses.
Amid this constant fear for health and livelihood, the coronavirus pandemic also spells out an uncertain future. While staying abreast of the latest (verified) information on the COVID-19 outbreak, don’t forget to take care of yourself and your family—your mental health also boosts immunity. The future might have changed from what you originally planned, but looking at these images of world landmarks before and after the coronavirus outbreak does give us hope that what we build from here on will make us a stronger, more united people.
