Coronavirus brings Shanghai to a standstill

The deadly coronavirus epidemic has brought much of China into a coma

Last updated: February 08, 2020 | 16:20

AFP and Compiled by Christian Borbon, Digital Content Producer

2 MIN READ

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The deadly coronavirus epidemic has brought much of China to a standstill, but perhaps nowhere has the change been more stark than in the country's biggest and most vibrant city.

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Gone are the traffic jams, crowded sidewalks and businessmen hurrying to work, replaced by eerily empty roads, shuttered bars and businesses, and only the occasional pedestrians - always behind a protective mask.

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Shanghai is the most populous of China's many mega-cities, but its usual gathering points look like they were hit with a neutron bomb.

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The scenic Bund riverfront is normally filled with gawkers taking in the European neo-classical architecture on one shore, facing a futuristic financial district on the other.

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Shanghai's slumber is due partly to a more than week-long city extension of the Lunar New Year holiday to help combat the virus.

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Shanghai has avoided the full or partial lockdowns seen in other parts of China.

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But residents are largely complying with official directives - issued via mass text messages or over blaring public loudspeakers - to avoid going outside unless absolutely necessary.

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A deserted thoroughfare at the usually busy Hongkou district in Shanghai.

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When they do, pedestrians often move far to one side of the pavement to avoid other approaching residents.

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The city's subway system, one of the world's longest, has made masks mandatory, as has nearly every business that remains open.

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Deserted roads at the usually busy Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai.

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A man walks along a deserted street in Shanghai.

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A deserted street is seen in Shanghai.

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People wearing protective facemask walk in the usually busy Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai.

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People wearing masks are seen at Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai.

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A man wearing a protective facemask walks in the usually busy Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai.

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A man wearing a mask is seen at Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai, China.

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A man wearing a protective facemask rides a bus in Shanghai.

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A man wearing a protective face mask walks along the usually busy Bund waterfront along the Huangpu River overlooking Shanghais financial district.

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A general view shows the usually full Hongqioa train station in Shanghai.

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A man wearing a protective facemask walks in the usually busy Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai.

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A man wearing a mask is seen at Lujiazui financial district in Pudong, Shanghai.

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