Coronavirus cases are surging across the world. Pharmaceutical companies are racing to come up with a vaccine. More than 97,000 people have died due to the disease caused by the virus. The world is in a state of flux like never before. These extraordinary circumstances have resulted in some extraordinary moments and people, captured in the following pictures. They are bound to stay with us long after this ordeal is over.
Connaught Place, Delhi is unrecognisable
As India witnesses a rise in coronavirus cases, the entire country is in lockdown. The once buzzing district centre, Connaught Place (CP), also a food and shopping hub, now wears a deserted look with not a soul in sight.
Taiwan's virus warriors
In this picture, Taiwanese army soldiers wearing their protective suits are seen spraying disinfectants on roads to prevent community transfer of novel coronavirus in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Taiwan has been able to keep its COVID-19 cases below 400 despite its proximity to China. This has been made possible due to exemplary preparations and early interventions by the authorities who had learnt valuable lessons from the SARS outbreak in 2003.
Times Square- deserted!
As New York city went into lockdown, its famous landmarks and streets became deserted. Times Square, once throbbing with life, is now a ghost spot as the city becomes another epicentre of the novel coronavirus.
'A Tutti Voi Grazie'
This is a picture from a hospital in Italy. The picture depicts a nurse holding a figure (which represents Italy) with text that reads "to you allThanks". It shows how the medical fraternity is grateful to people for staying in their homes.
9 pm-9 minutes In the fight against coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens across the country to participate in lighting diyas at 9 pm for 9 minutes on April 5, to fight the "darkness of the coronavirus pandemic". PM Modi had appealed to the nation to switch off all lights of houses at 9 PM for 9 minutes and just light a candle, 'diya', or flashlight, to show solidarity in the fight against coronavirus. The prime minister himself also did the same.This picture will, undoubtedly, go down in history as a symbol of India's fight against the pandemic.
Tiger Nadia tests coronavirus positive
In the first such incident, a tiger at New York's Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID 19. The tiger is believed to have contracted the virus from a caretaker in the zoo who had coronavirus symptoms at that time. The four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia along with her sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions, developed dry coughs but are expected to recover fully according to the Wildlife Conservation Society that runs the city's zoos.
The corona-themed globe
In an initiative to spread awareness about coronavirus, the Hyderabad police have placed a giant corona shaped globe at a traffic signal. The message was clear that people needed to stay indoors and take the lockdown seriously.