Coronavirus: Responses around the world

From China to Sweden to Kenya, from the halls of Congress to the Grand Mosque of Mecca, people around the world are scrambling to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Health officials across the globe are struggling to contain the outbreak and better understand it. 

Meanwhile, the number of cases, and deaths, continues to climb. 

Here, a woman wearing a face mask and gloves mourns next to cardboard boxes used as coffins outside a cemetery in Guayaquyil, Ecuador, on April 6, 2020. Soaring numbers of COVID-19 deaths in Ecuador's second city, Guayaquil, have led to a shortage of coffins.

Caution: Some of these images may be disturbing.

Quite a mask, quite a task

A masked volunteer stands ready as vehicles arrive at a Los Angeles Regional Food Bank drive-thru giveaway in Pico Rivera, California on April 28, 2020. Millions of families nationwide are facing food insecurity or economic difficulties due to the pandemic.

New beachwear

Women wearing face masks sunbathe in Huntington Beach, California on April 25, 2020. As of that date, Orange County was the only county in the area where beaches were open.

Alrighty then

Quarantine birthday wishes for a teen appear in a front yard in Arlington, Virginia, on April 27, 2020.

Thanks in the sky

Skywriting reading #firstresponders and a heart is seen above the Newport Beach Pier on April 25, 2020 in Newport Beach, California. 

Hospital triage

Here, medical workers transport patients at a special coronavirus intake area in Brooklyn on April 6, 2020. Hospitals in New York City faced shortages of beds, ventilators and protective equipment for medical staff.

Social distancing at the White House

President Trump and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force participate in a daily briefing on the coronavirus response on April 6, 2020. 

Strange times for sporting events

This was an All Japan Pro-Wrestling event on April 6, 2020 in Tokyo. The event was held behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Backup for food

Volunteers load food at a Los Angeles Regional Food Bank drive-thru giveaway in Pico Rivera, California on April 28, 2020. 

Getting creative with masks

A man wears a face mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus in Cali, Colombia, on April 6, 2020. 

The return of the drive-in movie

Visitors sit in their cars as they watch "The Kangaroo Chronicles" at the Autokino drive-in cinema during the coronavirus crisis on April 6, 2020 in Kornwestheim, Germany. 

Drive-in movies in some German states have been allowed to remain open, with the requirement that no more than two people occupy each car. An Autokino company spokeswoman said business is booming and film showings are currently selling out.

Coronavirus lockdown in Egypt

A man and his dog are seen wearing face masks as they walk in a street during a two-week curfew in Egypt.

"Save lives"

A man wears a mask and a sign urging others to wear masks as he walks in Baltimore's Inner Harbor in Maryland, April 6, 2020.

Ecuador, overwhelmed

A man sits on his relative's coffin as it awaits cremation on April 6, 2020 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Ecuador, with a population of 17 million, had more than 3,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of April 6, making it one of the worst-hit countries per capita in the region.

Lonely children

A boy plays alone in a garden amid fears over the spread of the coronavirus in Miami, Florida, on April 6, 2020.

You still need sunblock

Some beachgoers wear mask in Huntington Beach, California on April 25, 2020.

Selling masks

A woman sells masks to motorists amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 6, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. 

Cleaning and voting

Staff of the Franklin County Board of Elections sanitize voting stations on April 28, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. The only residents allowed to vote in person were those who are disabled, have no permanent residence, or who requested a ballot by mail but never received it.

One happy dog

A man runs with his very happy-looking dog while wearing a mask at Brooklyn Bridge Park on April 28, 2020.

Stop and test

A security guard holds up an infrared thermometer to screen motorists for the coronavirus on March 9, 2020 in New Delhi, India. 

Dedicated hospitals

Here, a ballooned rubber glove props up the breathing pipe for a patient in critical condition in a hospital designated for patients with COVID-19 — the disease caused by the coronavirus — in Wuhan, China, on March 6, 2020.

Terrible toll

A body wrapped in plastic and covered with cardboard lies on the sidewalk awaiting pickup on April 6, 2020 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. As of that date, Ecuador, with a population of 17 million, had more 3,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, making it one of the worst-hit countries per capita in the region. 

Loneliest place on Earth

Here, a padlock hangs on the entrance to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, on Monday, March 16, 2020. The entire resort has shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak and was expected to remain shuttered through at least March 31.

Stocking up

A woman wears a face mask as she faces a long line at a supermarket in Cali, Colombia, on March 18, 2020.

Lining up at hospitals

Patients wear protective masks while standing in a line outside a hospital in New Delhi, India, on March 18, 2020. 

So that's where all the toilet paper went

A man carries an armful of purchased toilet paper and paper towels from a German supermarket on March 18, 2020. 

Kindergartens cleared out

A worker disinfects a kindergarten against the coronavirus on March 13, 2020 in Prague, Czech Republic. The government there has declared a 30-day state of emergency.

No one for stroganoff

Rado Malik shows his his empty restaurant in Vienna, Austria on March 13, 2020.

Mask statement

A woman wears a face mask after arriving at the LAX Airport in Los Angeles, California on March 5, 2020. California has declared a state of emergency as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb. 

Although face masks have become popular accessories, health officials stress that they don't really offer protection against the virus. Washing your hands is a better way to protect yourself.

Shopping? Good luck

A woman pushes her cart to the back of the line outside a Trader Joe's supermarket in Pasadena, California, on March 18, 2020. 

Lonely stadium

A stadium in Eibar, Spain sits empty on March 10, 2020. Fans cannot attend matches because of the coronavirus emergency.

Elbows for prevention

Ken Cuccinelli, right, acting deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, elbow-bumps Congressman Ron Johnson to avoid shaking hands due to the coronavirus outbreak, after a Senate committee hearing in Washington D.C.

Suits and disinfectant

Firefighter teams with protective suits disinfect the Tajrish Bazaar as a precaution against the coronavirus in Tehran, Iran on March 6, 2020. 

Tourists staying home

Rome's Fontana di Trevi, or Trevi Fountain, is closed to visitors during the coronavirus emergency. Here's how it looked on March 10, 2020.

Behind glass

A student appears in the window of a quarantine building of the St. Petersburg Medical Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. The building is quarantined after the coronavirus was detected in a student returning from Italy. 

Cleaning a church

A worker disinfects the Hankou Salvation Church in Wuhan, China — the city where the virus first emerged in late December 2019.

More than 80,500 people have now been infected in mainland China, which has imposed dramatic measures to contain the spread of infections.

Market stress

Traders work the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 5, 2020 in New York City. Coronavirus fears have taken a big toll on stocks recently.

Disturbing signs in California

A sign greets shoppers at a La Habra, California market on March 17, 2020, after the store opened at 7 a.m. for seniors over 65.

No entry

A government school sits idle in New Delhi, India on March 13, 2020. 

Not-so-smooth sailing

Crew members aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the port of Yokohama, Japan, on February 27, 2020. Hundreds of people aboard the ship became ill from the coronavirus.

Al-Aqsa Mosque precautions

A man in Jerusalem sterilizes the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on March 5, 2020. 

Grand job

Municipal workers clean the floors around Mecca's Grand Mosque on March 6, 2020, a day after Saudi authorities emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilization over fears of the coronavirus.

Clearing out

An empty street is seen in Wuhan, China on March 4, 2020.

Schools closed

All Northshore public schools in Bothell, Washington, closed on March 5 for up to two weeks in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The district had planned to transition instruction from classroom to online learning beginning March 9.

Empty shelves

Empty shelves for hand soap and disinfectant are pictured at a store following coronavirus warnings in Kirkland, Washington on March 5, 2020. The U.S. confirmed its first case of the disease on January 20 and its first death on February 29, both in the state of Washington.

Coronavirus pop-up

Adilisha Patrom (right) speaks to a customer in her coronavirus pop-up store in Washington, D.C., on March 6, 2020. Patrom, who had bought a stock of face masks for her father, who is suffering from cancer, decided to make her trove available to the public.

Quiet Venice

A tourist wearing a face mask walks near the Rialto bridge on March 6, 2020 in Venice, Italy. Normally packed with visitors, Venice was deserted because of the coronavirus outbreak, which has hit Italy especially hard.

No tourists

Since the Italian government issued guidelines to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the Forum in Rome, usually crowded with tourists, has seen a drop in visitors.

Suiting up in Kenya

Kenyan health workers wear protective suits during a demonstration in Nairobi on March 6, 2020.

Protecting chidren

New Delhi students wear masks following multiple cases of coronavirus in India.

No more magic for now

The entrance to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World is seen on March 16, 2020, the first day of closure, as theme parks in the Orlando, Florida area suspended operations for at least two weeks.

Spooked lawmakers

A coronavirus advisory hangs on the door of the office of Congressman Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, in Washington D.C. 

"If you are feeling ill, please refrain from entering the office," it says. "NO HANDSHAKES OR HUGS."

Disinfecting

A woman who has recovered from the coronavirus is disinfected by volunteers as she arrives at a hotel for a 14-day quarantine after being discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, China on March 1, 2020.

Produce? Not today

Fruit and vegetable shelves in an Australian supermarket sit empty after panic buying on March 17, 2020. 

Quite a mask

A traveller in Bangkok, Thailand, wears a teargas mask at an event hall.

Deserted Vatican

The Vatican's Saint Peter's Square and its main basilica were expected to be closed to tourists from March 10 until at least April 3, 2020.

Full face covering

A commuter wearing a mask covering her entire face travels in Changsha, the capital of China's Hunan province, on March 5, 2020. 

Muted gatherings

People wearing masks pray during a "villain hitting" ceremony, also known as "hitting petty people," in Hong Kong. "Villain hitting" is a way to curse a certain subject by beating a paper effigy with a slipper or shoe. 

Precautions in Boston

MBTA transit employees disinfect areas of the Government Center T Station in Boston on March 5, 2020.

Virus-fighting robots

Volunteers spray disinfectant with a robot at a residential area in Wuhan, China, on March 3, 2020. 

Precautions in Lebanon

A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant at a church in Beirut, Lebanon on March 5, 2020.

Spraying fences

A health official wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant on a fence along the coast in Beirut, Lebanon on March 5, 2020. 

All sold out

As the coronavirus spreads across France, pharmacies are running out of face masks and hand sanitizer. A pharmacy in Toulouse posted a sign indicating no masks, no hand sanitizer.

Many U.S. retailers sold out, too.

At least someone is smiling

Here, a lone employee walks through the entrance to Disneyland on March 12, 2020, just after the Anaheim resort announced it would temporarily close. 

Coronavirus in Rome

A pharmacy in the center of Rome displays a sign indicating it's out of face masks on March 5, 2020.

Although demand for face masks has been high, health officials don't recommend wearing them. Washing your hands is a better way to protect yourself.

Cloaked

Two people wear face masks on a London street after the death of the first coronavirus patient in London on March 5, 2020. 

"Catch, bin, kill"

A National Health Service message reading "Catch it, Bin it, Kill it" appears on TV screens in the entrance to the QEII Centre in London.

Restaurants closed

A man wears a face mask in front of the Chinese restaurant Da Sonia, in Rome. The restaurant closed after employees decided to return to China on March 5, 2020.

Cautions in Stockholm

Passengers arriving in Stockholm's Arlanda airport are greeted by signs produced by the public health agency advising them on what to do if they show symptoms of coronavirus.

Sold out

Shelves normally stocked with meats sit empty at a Giant supermarket on March 13, 2020 in Dunkirk, Maryland. 

More schools closed

An employee works in an empty classroom on March 13, 2020, after schools were shuttered in New Delhi, India. More than 10 states in India have closed schools since the country reported it first coronavirus death.

"Fine"

A sign displayed on a balcony in Turin, Italy, says "Everything will be fine" on March 13, 2020.

Lonely Paris

This combination of pictures shows deserted Paris landmarks ion March 17, 2020: The Louvre Pyramid, the Arc de Triomphe, the empty square in front of the Palais Garnier Opera House, the empty Place de la Concorde, Trocadero Square near the Eiffel Tower, and the Sacred Heart Basilica.