March 15, 2020
Kate Frese/for PhillyVoice
LOVE Park in Center City was nearly empty Friday, March 13, 2020, as many people worked remotely and others practiced social distancing amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
Eventually, time will be delineated in two distinct periods: life before the coronavirus and life after the coronavirus. But for now, everyone is stuck in this moment in the middle.
Empty store shelves, closed schools, closed malls, dispensation from church, and social distancing will not be the norm forever. Still, as people navigate it in real time, it's difficult to see beyond this weird world we're experiencing today.
In one way, it's like a blizzard without the actual snow. The sun beaming in through the window and the unseasonably mild weather confuse the brain more, involuntarily conjuring memories of parks filled with families and business corridors bustling with shoppers. Trying to reconcile what we know, based on predictably repetitive life experiences, with this current, contradictory, temporary reality creates feelings of anxiety for some.
Below are images capturing what Philadelphia looked like in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, preserving how city life appeared for a moment in this uncertain state.
Photos were taken by Kate Frese.
Normally a highly foot-trafficked spot in Philadelphia on any workday, there were noticeably fewer people walking through the City Hall courtyard on Friday March 13, 2020.
Streets and sidewalks were all-but empty outside Philadelphia City Hall on Friday, March 13, 2020.
There were few passengers waiting for trains at the City Hall SEPTA station in Philadelphia on Friday, March 13, 2020.
Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia was open on Friday, March 13, 2020, but with the number of people working remotely and others practicing social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, diners were scarce.
Just a few cases of water remained in stock at the Target on the 1100 block of Walnut Street in Center City on Friday, March 13, 2020.
The City Hall SEPTA station in Center City was mostly deserted on Friday, March 13, 2020, as many people worked remotely and others practiced social distancing amid concerns about the the coronavirus.
Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia was open Friday, March 13, 2020, but with the number of people working remotely and others practicing social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many tables were empty.
The line of shoppers stocking up on food and supplies amid the region's coronavirus outbreak stretched outside the Aldi supermarket on the 4400 block of Market Street in West Philly on Friday, March 13, 2020.
Customers preparing to be home for an extended time because of the coronavirus had bought up all the toilet paper at the Target store on the 1100 block of Walnut Street in Philadelphia by Friday, March 13, 2020.
Customers bought up all the hand soap at the Target store on the 1100 block of Walnut Street in Philadelphia by Friday, March 13, 2020. Health officials have repeatedly advised people to wash their hands frequently to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
A shopper at the Aldi supermarket in West Philly picks from the store's dwindling supply of toilet paper on Friday, March 13, 2020. Thousands of shoppers in the Philadelphia region stocked up on household supplies and food as coronavirus restrictions increased this week.
The Philadelphia Municipal Services Building's concourse is usually crowded with people midday on a workday, but on Friday, March 13, 2020, it was nearly deserted as people worked remotely and practiced social distancing amid the coronavirus epidemic.
The sidewalks surrounding Philadelphia City Hall were deserted on Friday, March 13, 2020, as many people worked remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
