In empty Tel Aviv, only the clouds seem to move
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.
Israel appears to be weathering the global pandemic better than many nations, in part because of the lockdown restrictions. Israel’s Health Ministry has reported over 13,000 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and over 170 deaths.
People wear protective face masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus as they sit in a bus, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 25, 2020. (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. Although people began to trickle outdoors on Sunday as the government loosened its restrictions, the city's ordinarily traffic-clogged streets remained empty.
Stoplights cycle through their red-yellow-green at empty intersections. 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.
By nightfall, packs of jackals desperate for food descend on the city's sprawling Hayarkon Park, taking over this urban oasis in the heart of the city.
Along Tel Aviv’s famed beachfront, the shore is a sandy void. Tourists are long gone, and locals are barred from taking a dip despite the increasingly warm weather.
Police officers on duty are relieved to see another human face. 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.
And the clouds keep on moving.
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, March 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A man wears a protective face mask amid concerns over the country's coronavirus outbreak in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Tel Aviv's promenade and a main road are empty from people during a lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
People wear protective face masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus as they wait at food distribution center providing food products for families ahead of the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover, in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A closed coffee place on Tel Aviv's promenade empty from people during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
People wear protective face masks amid concerns over the country's coronavirus outbreak in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A protective face mask is thrown on the ground outside a supermarket during a lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Tel Aviv's beachfront wrapped in tape to prevent public access during a lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A face mask for sale is displayed on a mannequin amid concerns over the country's coronavirus outbreak in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A closed hotel is seen during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A woman wears a protective face mask amid concerns over the country's coronavirus outbreak as she wait for a bus, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A train station is deserted after authorities shut down railway service in effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus, in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A "don't panic" sign hangs on the entrance of a food market that was shut down in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A cat walks in a closed food market during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
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, March 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
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, March 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
An empty road is seen during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A man sleeps in an empty street during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A man begs for money on an empty street during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A pair of gloves are thrown on the ground outside a supermarket during a lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A man wears face masks cross a main road during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A family wear protective face masks amid concerns over the country's coronavirus outbreak in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A man wears 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, , March 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A closed training soccer field is seen during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Israeli Magen David Adom medical team members arrive to a house of person suspected of being COVID-19 positive, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A "don't panic" sign hangs on the entrance of a food market that was shut down in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A man rides bicycle on an empty road during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
An advertising billboard covered in black during lockdown following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Text from AP News story AP PHOTOS: In empty Tel Aviv, only the clouds seem to move by Oded Balilty.