People in face masks cross a near-empty street after the government announced a state of emergency for the capital and some prefectures following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan on April 16, 2020. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

A man rides his motorcycle along an empty street in Cali on April 17, 2021, during a curfew imposed by the government to help curb infections of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, as weekend partial lockdown takes effect in four Colombian cities. In recent weeks, the Colombian government has imposed, and then tightened, a series of restrictions to stem a third wave of infections that is bringing its health system to the brink of collapse. (Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP Photo)

A woman walks with her daughter through an empty street on April 27, 2020 in Malaga, Spain. Since April 27 children under 12 are allowed to come and go from their homes more freely. Spain has had more than 209,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 23,000 reported deaths, although the rate has declined after weeks of lockdown measures. (Photo by Daniel Perez Garcia-Santos/Getty Images)

Members of security forces secure Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, November 11, 2016. Egypt imposed a big security clampdown in its cities on Friday as mass demonstrations called to protest against austerity measures failed to take place. Riot police and armored vehicles filled the otherwise empty streets of central Cairo, but most people stayed at home. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)

The project “1000 Shadows” by the street artist Herbert Baglione, who populates abandoned places around the world with strange and misty shadows and creatures… His latest creations are set in the empty rooms of an old abandoned psychiatric hospital in the city of Parma in Italy, which further increases the fascinating and frightening ambiance of his creations.

Reuters photographer Bobby Yip took a series of portraits of people taking part in the “Occupy Central” protests in Hong Kong, and asked them why they had joined the demonstrations. China rules Hong Kong under a “one country, two systems” formula that accords the territory limited democracy. Tens of thousands of mostly student protesters are demanding Beijing give them full democracy, with the freedom to nominate election candidates. The unrest is the worst in Hong Kong since China resumed its rule over the former British colony in 1997. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)

These sand-swept images show the ghostly remains of what was once a mineral-rich mining community. In its heyday, the town of Kolmanskop, Namibia, was home to about 700 families. Now all that remains are empty homes filled with sand, while cast-off items such as bathtubs are scattered about the surrounding area. Over time, the sand of the stunning dunes that encircle the town of Kolmanskop has been blown towards the abandoned residences, coating everything from streets to the interiors of houses and workshops. Here: Kolmankop, an abandoned mining town in Namibia. (Photo by David Ogden/Caters News)

A pigeon, known as Siyah Kinifirli, with an approximate market value of 1000 Turkish Lira ($263), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey, December 23, 2016. As night-time approaches in Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey, most of the alleyways of the city's old bazaar are emptying out of buyers and vendors, except for one. (Photo by Umit Bektas/Reuters)