Genting Highlands, Malaysia malls and other places that are eerily deserted due to the coronavirus-linked lockdown

With the lockdown well and fully in place in Malaysia as of Wednesday (March 18), the country has become somewhat of a ghost town.

CCTV footage of the Causeway and Second Link show nary a vehicle in sight — sort of an eerie scene to be honest, and a stark contrast to before the restricted movement order was announced by the Malaysian prime minister.

Over at Genting Highlands, footage taken by a guest leaving Resorts World Genting on Wednesday morning showed the popular hotel and casino almost completely empty. The mountaintop resort announced on Tuesday (March 17) that it will be temporarily closing operations till April 1.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPpoXZjsKac[/embed]

It was the same story in the nation's capital of Kuala Lumpur, where roads were almost devoid of vehicles, even along the usually bustling shopping district near Berjaya Times Square.

[embed]https://twitter.com/joyandrian/status/1240058185353846786[/embed]

Malls in the country have also gone dark with no shoppers in sight — a somewhat discomforting sight to behold. Is this what it's like to be caught in a zombie apocalypse?

This situation is likely to persist till the end of the month, when the lockdown is set to end.

Empty scenes across the globe

Similar scenes have greeted residents in cities across the globe as the coronavirus continues its spread. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia emptied Islam's holiest site in Mecca in order to sterilise it.

[embed]https://twitter.com/tha_rami/status/1240127530117533698[/embed]

Even the happiest place on earth has not been spared — Disneyland announced that it would be shutting the doors to its theme parks in the US until the end of March.

[embed]https://twitter.com/Luke94/status/1239035205395988480[/embed]

Shanghai Disneyland too will remain close "until further notice".

Here's a look at other once-crowded tourist spots that are now eerily empty:

Bangkok: 

[embed]https://twitter.com/phacharaphornp/status/1239199452818259968[/embed]

Seoul:

[embed]https://twitter.com/odissy/status/1239466824883777536[/embed]

Tokyo:

[embed]https://twitter.com/ClsNyakundi/status/1239493395401396224[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/siliconsnow/status/1237399431022026754[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/kthecore/status/1237763271936987138[/embed]

Hong Kong:

[embed]https://twitter.com/octheshrubber/status/1238840847082246150[/embed]

New York City:

[embed]https://twitter.com/randsborg/status/1239942837547995142[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/Reality_Index/status/1239378744604626944[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1239486136151453696[/embed]

Chennai:

[embed]https://twitter.com/sanjusadagopan/status/1239852772134019072[/embed]

Rome & Vatican:

[embed]https://twitter.com/RevRyanBlack/status/1239263199020670976[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1239392445172830208[/embed]

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

candicecai@asiaone.com