Pandemic: A snapshot of life on the Jersey Shore
The Atlantic City boardwalk was nearly empty on the evening of Monday, March 16, 2020, after New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy ordered casinos, movie theaters and gyms to close indefinitely beginning at 8 p.m., to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.
In inky black-and-white, photographer Lori Nichols captured the haunting desolation of empty Jersey Shore communities, just weeks before the summer season.
Atlantic City
Signs announce the closure of Tropicana Atlantic City, Monday night, March 16, 2020.
Lori Nichols
Photographer Lori Nichols is a multimedia specialist for NJ Advance Media, whose work has been published in the South Jersey Times and on NJ.com.
Here she wears makeshift PPE while shooting the boardwalks and beaches of Jersey Shore communities in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. "The scarf and my clothing went right into the washer when I got home, and I stayed about ten feet away (or further) from most people that were out and about," she wrote on Instagram.
Not that there were that many out and about; Nichols' photos evoke a haunted quality of scenes devoid of people, and an environment that appears to have returned to a more natural, pre-tourist mecca state.
Atlantic City
The Golden Nugget Atlantic City is mostly dark on Friday, March 20, 2020.
Atlantic City
The boardwalk is empty and very few lights remain on at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., due to the coronavirus outbreak, Friday, March 20, 2020.
Atlantic City
The doors to the Wild Wild West Casino at Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino are padlocked, Friday, March 20, 2020.
Atlantic City
Two men ride their bikes on an otherwise empty boardwalk near Wild Wild West Casino at Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, Friday night, March 20, 2020.
Asbury Park
The sign underneath "Tillie" on the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, N.J., reads "Stay safe, be kind," on Thursday, March 26, 2020.
Asbury Park
Placards encouraging people to "please continue social distancing when outdoors" dot the boardwalk in Asbury Park, N.J., Thursday, March 26, 2020.
Asbury Park
People enjoy the beach in Asbury Park, N.J., Thursday, March 26, 2020.
Lavallette
A small sign marks that the beach and boardwalk in Lavallette, N.J., are closed during the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, March 26, 2020. People were still using the beach and boardwalk, but some were unaware of the closure.
Sea Girt
Orange netting blocks access to the boardwalk in Sea Girt, N.J., Thursday afternoon, March 26, 2020.
Sea Girt
People walk along the beach in Sea Girt, N.J., Thursday, March 26, 2020. Officials had closed the boardwalk in the morning due to concern over people spreading the coronavirus, but the beach remained open.
Brigantine
A dead horseshoe crab lies upside-down on the beach in Brigantine, N.J., Thursday, April 2, 2020.
Brigantine
Details of the sand near the Cove beach in Brigantine, N.J., Friday, April 3, 2020.
Brigantine
A plastic chair lies in the dunes in Brigantine, N.J., Friday, April 3, 2020.
Brigantine
Scenes from a walk along the beach in Brigantine, N.J., Friday, April 3, 2020.
Brigantine
Tire marks remain in the sand as a couple walks along the beach in Brigantine, N.J., Saturday, April 4, 2020.
Brigantine
Patterns are formed in the sand on the beach in Brigantine, N.J., Saturday, April 4, 2020.
Brigantine
A vehicle drives on the beach in Brigantine, N.J., Saturday, April 4, 2020.
Brigantine
Bird prints remain in the hardened sand near a shell on the beach in Brigantine, N.J., Monday, April 6, 2020.
Brigantine
Harrah's Resort Atlantic City and Golden Nugget Atlantic City are seen to the left of the Brigantine Bridge from the beach in Brigantine, N.J., Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Brigantine
The jetty in the south end of Brigantine, N.J., Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Brigantine
Piles of beach wrack lie on the beach and clouds fill the sky as a storm approaches Brigantine, N.J., Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Brigantine
An SUV on the south end of Brigantine beach is illuminated by the sun as winds kick up from an approaching storm, Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Brigantine
Fragments of shells cover the side of a dune in Brigantine, N.J., Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Brigantine
Scenes from a walk along the beach in Brigantine, N.J., Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Brigantine
A ship heads out to sea from Atlantic City, by way of Absecon Inlet, as seen from Brigantine, N.J., Tuesday, April 14, 2020.
Brigantine
A surfer heads back to shore in Brigantine, N.J., Tuesday, April 14, 2020.
Atlantic City
On Saturday, May 2, state and many county parks were reopened. Here, people enjoy the warm weather and sunshine on a dock at Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina in Atlantic City.
Berkeley Township
People, one of whom is wearing a face covering, fish at John C. Bartlett Jr. County Park at Berkeley Island in Berkeley Township, Saturday, May 2, 2020.
Wildwood
The Boardwalk in Wildwood, N.J., Monday, May 11, 2020.
Wildwood
The Great White rollercoaster at Morey's Piers' Adventure Amusement Pier, Wildwood, N.J., Monday, May 11, 2020.
Wildwood
The Giant Wheel at Morey's Piers' Mariner's Amusement Pier, Wildwood, N.J., Monday, May 11, 2020.
Lower Township
The wreck of the SS Atlantus, off Sunset Beach, Lower Township, N.J., Monday, May 11, 2020.
Lower Township
Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township, N.J., Monday, May 11, 2020.
Cape May
Cape May, N.J., Monday, May 11, 2020.
For more info:
Lori Nichols (Instagram)
Edited by CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan
See also:
GALLERY: Pandemic: ER workers on the frontlines in NYC by Adelene Egan
GALLERY: Pandemic: A snapshot of life in Washington, D.C. by Robin Fader
GALLERY: Pandemic: A snapshot of life in Memphis by Jamie Harmon
GALLERY: Pandemic: A snapshot of life in New Orleans by Chris Granger
GALLERY: New Orleans, before and after lockdown by Sophia Germer
GALLERY: Pandemic: A snapshot of life in New York City by Peter Turnley