Commuters in the Czech capital have been instructed to wear face masks while using public transport as a nationwide quarantine aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus enters its second day.
Face Masks And Empty Streets As Prague Lockdown Tightens
- By Amos Chapple
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A subway car at 7:40 a.m. on March 17, the day after Prague City Council announced people would be required to wear face masks inside the city's transport network.
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Commuters wearing masks ascend an escalator on March 17.
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A man exits a subway car wearing a Guy Fawkes mask on March 17. The day before, Prague's mayor said on Twitter: “On Prague public transport, it is mandatory to have a covered mouth and nose! Whether you have medical masks, self-made masks, or use a scarf, anything is better than nothing.”
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A man wearing a surgical mask inside a central Prague subway station. Medical experts say such face masks without a tight seal on the face will do little to protect the wearer from coronavirus. However, the masks -- originally designed to prevent surgeons' spittle landing on vulnerable patients -- do limit the spread of viruses from people already infected. In a pandemic such as coronavirus, where some patients are known to carry and spread the disease before showing any or only mild symptoms, such masks could help to limit the contagion.
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A man covers his face inside the subway. The Czech government has banned most nonessential travel throughout the country.
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Czechs have also been asked to keep their distance from other people and not to gather in groups.
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An empty subway station entrance on March 17 at 7:36 a.m. -- what would usually be the peak of rush hour. Although transport links remain fully operational, only a fraction of the usual passengers were using public transport.
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An empty platform shortly before 8 a.m. on March 17.
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The requirement for face masks also applies to buses and trams.
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A man dozes in his face mask shortly before 8 a.m. on March 17.
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A man in a nearly empty subway car on March 17 in a station near Prague's tourist center.
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An empty bridge in central Prague photographed on March 15. Prague's tourist areas have been virtually empty after restaurants, bars, and most stores were closed on the day this photo was taken.
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Empty lanes in the heart of Prague's historic tourist district.
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One of Prague's most famous sites, Old Town Square, stands nearly empty. This space is usually thronged with thousands of tourists.
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Empty streets in Prague's tourist area. The Czech Republic currently has reported 396 cases of coronavirus but no deaths from the disease.
