AP — The normally bustling city of Tel Aviv, famed for its nightlife and rowdy beachfront, has fallen eerily quiet due to Israel’s tight restrictions on movement that are meant to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
The city has the familiar anxious feeling of wartime, only now it’s silent without air raid sirens.
The chirping of birds, once impossible to hear over the din of cars and buses and chatter and music from restaurants, is audible on every street.
The only things that seem to move are the clouds overhead.
In this March 28, 2020 photo, a closed soccer field is seen during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Israel appears to be weathering the global pandemic better than many nations, in part because of the lockdown restrictions. its Health Ministry has reported over 13,000 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and over 180 deaths.
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In this March 28, 2020 photo, a man feeds pigeons at an empty parking lot during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Nonetheless, the impact of the coronavirus crisis on Tel Aviv is visible as its citizens have largely observed government orders to remain at home in recent weeks.
In this March 24, 2020, photo, children wear protective face masks amid concerns over the country’s coronavirus outbreak in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Although people began to trickle outdoors on Sunday as the government loosened its restrictions, the city’s ordinarily traffic-clogged streets remained empty.
In this March 28, 2020 photo, a man rides his bicycle on an empty road during a lockdown following an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Stoplights cycle through their red-yellow-green at empty intersections.
In this April 11, 2020 photo, a main road lies empty during a lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Sidewalks once full of pedestrians are bare but for the occasional homeless man or dog walker, or Palestinian construction workers allowed to stay in the country for the duration of the crisis, venturing out to buy food.
In this March 25, 2020 photo, a man wearing a protective face mask begs for money outside a closed mall following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
By nightfall, packs of jackals desperate for food descend on the city’s sprawling Yarkon Park, taking over this urban oasis in the heart of the city.
In this March 30, 2020 photo, Tel Aviv’s beachfront is wrapped in police tape to prevent public access during a lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Along Tel Aviv’s famed beachfront, the shore is a sandy void.
In this April 11, 2020 photo, Tel Aviv’s beach-front promenade and a main road are empty of people during a lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Tourists are long gone, and locals are barred from taking a dip despite the increasingly warm weather.
This March 26, 2020, photo is taken from a closed cafe on Tel Aviv’s beachfront promenade, which is empty of people during a lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Police officers on duty are relieved to see another human face.
In this March 29, 2020, photo, Jews pray a morning prayer outside a closed synagogue following the government’s measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
The tape they have stuck on exercise equipment on the beaches’ open-air gyms to deter users has frayed. The tattered strips flap in the breeze with nobody around to ignore them.
In this March 25, 2020, photo, a Magen David Adom medical team arrives at a home of a person suspected of carrying the coronavirus, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
And the clouds keep on moving.
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