PHOTO GALLERY: Athens streets deserted during lockdown

Deserted squares, padlocked parks, empty avenues where lines of cars once idled bumper-to-bumper in traffic as motorbikes and scooters zoomed through the narrow gaps between. The Greek capital, Athens, like so many cities across the world, has seen its streets empty under a lockdown designed to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

Compared with many other countries, Greece took aggressive measures early. Schools, kindergartens and universities were shut after the first confirmed cases, while more restrictions were introduced every couple of days: ski resorts and public organized beaches closed, retail stores shut down, routine surgeries canceled, churches shuttered, more and more people advised to work from home.

On March 23, a full lockdown was implemented, allowing people to leave home only for specific reasons. At the time, Greece had 624 confirmed Covid-19...