A photographer captured how eerily empty Shanghai's normally bustling streets are amid the coronavirus outbreak

By Ben Mack From Business Insider

• Shanghai-based photographer Nicoco captured eerie images of empty streets and public spaces in the normally bustling metropolis during the Chinese New Year period amid the coronavirus outbreak.
• The project, known as " 一个人城市 / One Person City," is also viewable on her Instagram.
• She told Insider: "There is a lot of anxiety in the air. The virus has robbed Chinese people from what should be the happiest time of year."
• However, Nicoco said she believes Shanghai will come back as the "city of the future."

Shanghai is one of the world's most populated cities, but a series of photos show how its streets have emptied out as the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak — now officially known as COVID-19 — worsens.

While the majority of coronavirus cases have been in Wuhan, at least 311 cases have been confirmed in Shanghai, according to the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases map from Johns Hopkins University, which uses data from the WHO and CDC.

Chicago-born, Shanghai-based photographer Nicococaptured eerie images of streets and public spaces in the normally bustling Chinese metropolis as part of a project known as " 一个人城市 / One Person City," which is viewable on her Instagram.

"For the past two weeks, everything has stopped," she told Insider. "There is a lot of anxiety in the air."

Referencing Chinese New Year, she added: "The virus has robbed Chinese people from what should be the happiest time of year."

Shanghai has a population of more than 25 million people, according to the United Nations, and is China's most populous city.

Source: United Nations

"What I found through my trips around Shanghai was emptiness filled with fear," she said of capturing her photos, which were taken at different times of day.

Nicoco said only a few shops remain open, and only a few essential workers — like janitorial staff — can be found at their jobs.

"My experience living in Shanghai during the coronavirus outbreak, and seemingly many others, is isolation," she said.

Train travel for the normally busy Chinese New Year declined by about 40% due to the coronavirus, according to CNBC.

Source: CNBC

Nicoco said it's obvious levels of fear are rising in the city, and she compared Shanghai's streets to a "Where's Waldo?"

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