Photographer Page

Emin Özmen

An Istanbul city employee disinfects the streets of Beyoglu on April 14, 2020. Typically bustling with tourists intent on sampling its historic winehouses, museums, nightclubs and shops, the neighbourhood fell quiet at the start of the pandemic. Many cities initially tried to curb the spread of the coronavirus by spraying their walkways with disinfectant—a practice that the World Health Organisation ultimately recommended against, as the chemicals were likely to harm people’s health.

ON THE FRONT LINES IN A GLOBAL CRISIS 04.14, Istanbul, Turkey A city employee disinfects a street in Beyoğlu, a tourist district empty of tourists. When communities shut down across the world, many people could retreat to their homes. Others, newly deemed essential, had to keep working. Like many countries, Turkey sent out armies of workers in protective gear to spray the streets, hoping to contain the virus and, perhaps, reassure its citizens that action was being taken. The World Health Organization later warned that this method was ineffective at halting the spread of the coronavirus and that the disinfectants could potentially harm people’s health.

A man shops at the Besiktas market in central Istanbul. To enter, customers now must have their temperature checked at the entrance.

According to 2018 figures, some 162,970 stray cats and 128,900 dogs live on the streets of Istanbul. Since the pandemic hit, many of them cannot get enough food to survive, though the city government has been feeding some of them.

Near Taksim Square, a narrow street holds meyhane restaurants, where Istanbullus usually gather at outdoor tables to eat mezzes and drink Turkish raki. But all eateries have been closed to in-person dining due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Built in 1890, Istanbul’s Sirkeci railway station was the eastern terminus of the mythical Orient Express. Nowadays, it’s also a subway stop, though the coronavirus crisis has significantly diminished its crowds.

Near Istanbul’s Taksim Square, a bread seller pulls his face mask down for a cigarette break.

Istanbul’s usually full restaurants and cafes have been closed for in-person dining since March 23. Only street cats, an enduring symbol of the city, still venture there.

The banks of the Bosporus in Istanbul are usually filled with crowds of people strolling. But on this day in March 2020, a man sat by himself singing a sad song.

In Istanbul’s Beyoglu neighborhood, residents sun themselves on their balconies.