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Once-bustling airports around the world have apparently fallen quiet as thousands of flights are canceled, schedules are reduced, and travel restrictions are issued amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
On Monday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the most concerning outbreaks outside of China are currently in South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan, according to Reuters. The same day, Vice President Mike Pence said that airports in Italy and South Korea would be implementing more intensive health screenings for all travelers.
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As seen in recent photos, some of the biggest and busiest airports in the hardest-hit nations are largely empty as the virus rocks the travel industry and consumer demand for commercial air travel plummets.
A man walks past a LED wall displaying a message with English translation about the prevention of the spread of coronavirus in Beijing Daxing International Airport, China on March 3. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)
Two police officers wearing face masks drive an electric vehicle in Beijing Daxing International Airport, China, on March 3. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)
A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a Louis Vuitton store in the duty free shopping area at Incheon International Airport in South Korea on March 3. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Check-in counters at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, seen here on March 3, appear virtually empty. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Images captured this week at Beijing Daxing International Airport in China, Incheon International Airport in South Korea, Milan Linate Airport in Italy and Narita International Airport in Tokyo appear to show virtually deserted concourses, terminals and check-in counters.
Passengers wait inside a terminal building at Linate airport in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 26. (Gianmarco Maraviglia/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A luggage wrapping machine stands in an empty departure hall at Linate airport in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 26. (Gianmarco Maraviglia/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The normally-busy Terminal 1 at Tokyo Narita airport, Japan, looked deserted at 7 a.m. on March 2 amid the coronavirus outbreak. (SWNS)
A single passenger is pictured using a check-in kiosk for Korean Air at Tokyo Narita airport, Japan, on March 2. (SWNS)
Travelers from Iran were also photographed receiving health screenings from health officials in protective, full-body suits upon deplaning in Najaf, Iraq late last month.
Medical staff check passengers arriving from Iran in the airport in Najaf, Iraq on Feb. 21. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
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Iraqi authorities are taking precautions at Najaf and other Iraqi airports, as well as at the border gates with Iran. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
As of Wednesday morning, the U.S. State Department had issued a Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) travel advisory for Japan, Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) alerts for Italy and South Korea, and Level 4 (Do Not Travel) warnings for China and Iran due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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As of March 4, over 90,000 people worldwide had been sickened by the viral disease, while the death toll had risen to 3,100 in at least 70 countries.
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