Milan, Italy's second-largest city and busy year-round, is "eerily deserted," amid surges of coronavirus cases in northern Italy, reports The New York Times.
The viral outbreak that began in China and has infected more than 80,000 people globally is growing in Italy, which has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Europe and the third highest in the world after South Korea and China.
In total, more than 280 cases have been reported in the country.
The bars, subway trains and streets are mostly empty, including Milan's landmark cathedral, Piazza del Duomo, which is usually packed with tourists. Local businesses have been hit hard by the absence of tourists, as the government has declared a state of emergency and quarantined around 50,000 people in towns and villages around Milan.
Walking through areas normally buzzing with nightlife, "it's like a bomb exploded," Carlina Cretella, whose family runs the Jamaica café in Milan, told The Washington Post.
"You can feel it in your body," she said.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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