'Capturing a World of Emptiness' diff viewer (0/1)

This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on March 28, 2020 06:18 (UTC). It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/reader-center/insider-virus-photos.html

The article has changed 26 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Previous version 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Next version

Previous version 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Next version

Version 0	Version 1
Capturing a World of Emptiness	Capturing a World of Emptiness
2020-03-28 06:20:16 UTC	2020-06-10 00:29:27 UTC (2 months later)
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.	Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.
In São Paulo, Brazil, Victor Moriyama covered his face with a mask, slipped on gloves and mounted his motorbike to ride through the emptying city streets.	In São Paulo, Brazil, Victor Moriyama covered his face with a mask, slipped on gloves and mounted his motorbike to ride through the emptying city streets.
In Paris, Andrea Mantovani cruised through the deserted roads in a cab. Her driver had so few passengers that he remembered her by name from two days before.	In Paris, Andrea Mantovani cruised through the deserted roads in a cab. Her driver had so few passengers that he remembered her by name from two days before.
And in Tehran, Arash Khamooshi met a lone man waiting at a bus stop. They yelled greetings through their masks — from more than six feet apart.	And in Tehran, Arash Khamooshi met a lone man waiting at a bus stop. They yelled greetings through their masks — from more than six feet apart.
Each of these photographers — and some three dozen others scattered across the globe — were charged with the same task: to capture the vast stillness that has fallen over the world during the coronavirus pandemic. The resulting images in the project, “The Great Empty,” accompanied by an introductory essay by the Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman, can be seen in a collection online and in a special section of this Sunday’s paper.	Each of these photographers — and some three dozen others scattered across the globe — were charged with the same task: to capture the vast stillness that has fallen over the world during the coronavirus pandemic. The resulting images in the project, “The Great Empty,” accompanied by an introductory essay by the Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman, can be seen in a collection online and in a special section of this Sunday’s paper.
David Furst, the international picture editor, came up with the idea and oversaw the project from his New York apartment, where he is now confined to working. So many of the world’s famous public places were deserted, he said, that he thought people should look at them together. “The world was so immediately connected,” Mr. Furst said. “There was a real power in that.”	David Furst, the international picture editor, came up with the idea and oversaw the project from his New York apartment, where he is now confined to working. So many of the world’s famous public places were deserted, he said, that he thought people should look at them together. “The world was so immediately connected,” Mr. Furst said. “There was a real power in that.”
The scenes at those locations were otherworldly. You never see an empty Times Square, he said, or Place de la Concorde, one of the major public squares in Paris, completely devoid of cars. “The virus has created a new urban landscape.”	The scenes at those locations were otherworldly. You never see an empty Times Square, he said, or Place de la Concorde, one of the major public squares in Paris, completely devoid of cars. “The virus has created a new urban landscape.”

Times photo editors across the globe assigned photographers who were based in the cities where the virus was hitting hardest. For many who were dispatched, the project was unlike any they had undertaken. “I’m always documenting human beings, and this is photographing the absence of them,” said Todd Heisler, a Times staff photographer in New York.	Times photo editors across the globe assigned photographers who were based in the cities where the virus was hitting hardest. For many who were dispatched, the project was unlike any they had undertaken. “I’m always documenting human beings, and this is photographing the absence of them,” said Todd Heisler, a Times staff photographer in New York.
Shooting at Place de la Concorde, Ms. Mantovani said she had never experienced Paris that way before. “You can hear silence,” she recalled. “Normally, Paris is a video. But the video has stopped, and now it’s a painting. There is no movement.”	Shooting at Place de la Concorde, Ms. Mantovani said she had never experienced Paris that way before. “You can hear silence,” she recalled. “Normally, Paris is a video. But the video has stopped, and now it’s a painting. There is no movement.”
Her photographs of the square, gray monuments under a leaden sky, resemble a moonscape. “I was rediscovering Place de la Concorde,” she said. “It was a new world. It is a new world.”	Her photographs of the square, gray monuments under a leaden sky, resemble a moonscape. “I was rediscovering Place de la Concorde,” she said. “It was a new world. It is a new world.”
That same day, almost 6,000 miles away in Brazil, Mr. Moriyama interpreted the desolation of São Paulo’s streets through the lens of a lit apartment building, with solitary figures standing — “one person per window” — in self-quarantine, some beating pans in protest of President Jair Bolsonaro’s lax stance on the pandemic.	That same day, almost 6,000 miles away in Brazil, Mr. Moriyama interpreted the desolation of São Paulo’s streets through the lens of a lit apartment building, with solitary figures standing — “one person per window” — in self-quarantine, some beating pans in protest of President Jair Bolsonaro’s lax stance on the pandemic.
When the photographers received their instructions, they were also given guidance to protect themselves. Depending on the circumstances, editors told photographers to wear masks and gloves or in some cases to take further protections, and to avoid proximity and confined spaces, directions that run counter to many photographers’ instincts to get physically close to the action.	When the photographers received their instructions, they were also given guidance to protect themselves. Depending on the circumstances, editors told photographers to wear masks and gloves or in some cases to take further protections, and to avoid proximity and confined spaces, directions that run counter to many photographers’ instincts to get physically close to the action.
Gaia Tripoli, a photo editor based in London, asked photographers to bear witness to the particular changes of their city. “We ended up with a very powerful body of work from a lot of different cities, but every photographer has a particular approach,” she said, adding that the aim of the collection was that the images all “sing together.”	Gaia Tripoli, a photo editor based in London, asked photographers to bear witness to the particular changes of their city. “We ended up with a very powerful body of work from a lot of different cities, but every photographer has a particular approach,” she said, adding that the aim of the collection was that the images all “sing together.”
Federico Rios, a photographer based in Medellín, Colombia, who often covers political violence across South America, said the coronavirus has posed a unique challenge for him.	Federico Rios, a photographer based in Medellín, Colombia, who often covers political violence across South America, said the coronavirus has posed a unique challenge for him.
“I’ve covered conflicts, and you always think, ‘If I’m wearing a bulletproof vest it’s because maybe I’ll get shot,’” he said. “But with this, how do you protect yourself against something that isn’t visible?”	“I’ve covered conflicts, and you always think, ‘If I’m wearing a bulletproof vest it’s because maybe I’ll get shot,’” he said. “But with this, how do you protect yourself against something that isn’t visible?”
After completing an assignment in Bogotá, he rode his motorcycle back — not home to his wife and two young children, but to his birth city, Manizales, where he could stay in a family home away from others for 14 days.	After completing an assignment in Bogotá, he rode his motorcycle back — not home to his wife and two young children, but to his birth city, Manizales, where he could stay in a family home away from others for 14 days.
Back in Tehran, under mask and gloves, Mr. Khamooshi struggled to work the camera with sweaty hands. Communicating from a distance with the lone man at the bus stop, whom he had just photographed, was also difficult.	Back in Tehran, under mask and gloves, Mr. Khamooshi struggled to work the camera with sweaty hands. Communicating from a distance with the lone man at the bus stop, whom he had just photographed, was also difficult.
“We were speaking loudly — kind of shouting — to be able to hear each other,” Mr. Khamooshi recalled in Persian through a translator. For a moment, he added, anxiety dissolved and “it just made us laugh.”	“We were speaking loudly — kind of shouting — to be able to hear each other,” Mr. Khamooshi recalled in Persian through a translator. For a moment, he added, anxiety dissolved and “it just made us laugh.”
	Updated June 5, 2020
	So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
	A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
	The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
	Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.
	Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.
	States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
	Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
	Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
	If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
	Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.
	The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
	If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
	If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
All of the photographers interviewed expressed a sense of responsibility in carrying out the assignment. “Right now, I’m just thinking, ‘How can we show this crisis?’” said Mr. Moriyama, who photographed the São Paulo apartment building and said he’s been reflecting on the social impact of the pandemic. “I feel I must go outside and document what’s going on.”	All of the photographers interviewed expressed a sense of responsibility in carrying out the assignment. “Right now, I’m just thinking, ‘How can we show this crisis?’” said Mr. Moriyama, who photographed the São Paulo apartment building and said he’s been reflecting on the social impact of the pandemic. “I feel I must go outside and document what’s going on.”
For many photographers, the impact that the absence of people had on the character of a place was palpable. While on assignment in Munich, Germany, last week, Laetitia Vancon watched the streets drain of people, comparing the emptiness to “switching off the soul of the town.” On Instagram, she called it “a farewell to what we used to know.”	For many photographers, the impact that the absence of people had on the character of a place was palpable. While on assignment in Munich, Germany, last week, Laetitia Vancon watched the streets drain of people, comparing the emptiness to “switching off the soul of the town.” On Instagram, she called it “a farewell to what we used to know.”
Across the world, some dozen editors curated 34 images and the words contextualizing them. Readers scrolling through the selections online would see only brief text: location and time stamps moving across the page or a brief caption. There were only 600 words of accompanying text. By design, even the headline — just three words — was minimal in relation to the images.	Across the world, some dozen editors curated 34 images and the words contextualizing them. Readers scrolling through the selections online would see only brief text: location and time stamps moving across the page or a brief caption. There were only 600 words of accompanying text. By design, even the headline — just three words — was minimal in relation to the images.
Working from his kitchen table in New York, Rumsey Taylor, the art director overseeing mobile and digital layout, was conscious of striking an “austere” tone throughout the piece.	Working from his kitchen table in New York, Rumsey Taylor, the art director overseeing mobile and digital layout, was conscious of striking an “austere” tone throughout the piece.
And from his 13-year-old’s bedroom in New Jersey, Wayne Kamidoi, an art director on the Print Hub, the department that produces the physical newspaper, worked on his day off to design the 16-page, full-color special edition for this Sunday. There, you can leaf through cities gone quiet.	And from his 13-year-old’s bedroom in New Jersey, Wayne Kamidoi, an art director on the Print Hub, the department that produces the physical newspaper, worked on his day off to design the 16-page, full-color special edition for this Sunday. There, you can leaf through cities gone quiet.