At the time of writing, the Wuhan coronavirus designated 2019-nCoV has claimed the lives of 132 people, and the number of confirmed cases already exceeds 6,000. Last weekend we shared an interactive map that lets us track the evolution of this epidemic, but if we want to understand the real impact, there is nothing better than direct images of the city of Wuhan.
A City Under Lockdown
An entire capital, paralyzed. 11 million people under quarantine. Construction teams work against the clock to finish two temporary hospitals. And in the foreground, the virus. 132 dead, 6,109 confirmed cases… and counting. Authorities suspended public transportation in Wuhan and the main cities of Hubei province until further notice, a lockdown affecting more than 40 million people in the region. That decision triggered a massive exodus (an estimated 300,000 people left Wuhan before the 10 a.m. cutoff on January 23), fueled by fear of shortages of food and medicine.
But the photographic press has not gone anywhere. Many cameras remain there, focused on recording the emptiness of Wuhan. Those who do go out wear surgical masks, and the only major activity comes from the authorities, who transport patients, disinfect police, and move machines in construction areas. Despite everything, life goes on...
The Quarantine in Pictures
Source: The Atlantic
