Experiences of emptiness: postcards from 16 cities across the world

Deserted, silent, transformed; from Rome's historic Piazza Navona, to Baghdad's symbolic Tahrir Square. With over half of humanity confined to their homes, AFP TV journalists set up cameras in 16 cities across the world.

Faced with the emptiness, they captured the mood -- some emotional, worried or surprised -- of the rare passers-by they encountered at 16:00 (4:00pm) local time on Wednesday.

Normally the Italian capital's Piazza Navona would be buzzing with tourists, artists and musicians, while Arpoador beach in Rio de Janeiro is a magnet for surfers.

Crowds of all nationalities congregate day and night at Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate while in Nigeria's megacity, Lagos, life in the Ikoyi neighbourhood is always busy, as it is on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles.

But since the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and introduction of restrictions to stem its spread, tighter in some countries than others, life in these cities, as in Tokyo, Jerusalem, Panama City, New York, Johannesburg or even Niagara Falls in Canada, is very different.

For some, the void has left a sense of loss, such as Italian tour guide Marta Rezzano, who told AFP she missed "living the city everyday".

"I miss no longer being able to show it, to talk about it, to walk up and down the streets, tread through its squares.

"It's really sad, yes."
"Their true nature includes us."