Vast emptiness fills the air in streets across the country during quarantine – and it’s kind of beautiful… in an eerie way.
As per Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s request, strict measures have been taken by security forces to enforce quarantine and potentially wane the spread of the coronavirus. On Sunday, the Lebanese Army flew helicopters over the country to urge the Lebanese people to stay at home.
Talented photographers have been able to capture the unsettling stillness and silence of the normally lively streets of the country.
The lockdown leaves Lebanon looking rather ghostly and a bit post-apocalyptic in contrast with the photos of crowds filling the streets during the revolution.
Beirut
You can also click here to see what Beirut looks like at night during the quarantine.
Tripoli
Saida
Jbeil / Byblos
Nahr EL-Kalb / Keserwan
Sawfar
Feitroun
Batroun
Tyr
With normally heavy traffic and lively crowdedness, these images are a sight for sore eyes. While it’s beautiful to see Lebanon as though frozen in the eternity of times, one can’t shake off a wave of sadness at these scenes. Such stillness in a country with so much life to give is a bit unsettling.
We’re not alone, though. Photographs like these have been taken around the world where the coronavirus is forcing people into quarantine.
On the bright side, satellite images have shown that air quality has improved in those countries, even in Lebanon, thanks to the coronavirus. A decrease in air pollution, yay Earth!
In fact, it seems that Earth is healing itself by giving humanity a long-overdue wake-up call. Painful as it is, the world is getting to realize that they can no longer take our planet for granted, nor our coexistence as one human race.
We have a dedicated coronavirus section where you can find the latest news/updates about the pandemic in Lebanon, inform yourself with WHO-verified resources, and track the number of cases in Lebanon in real-time. Click here.
