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Eerie scenes show unrecognisable Venice empty of tourists after lockdown

Rialto bridge is seen on March 9, 2020 in Venice, Italy.
A completely empty Rialto bridge is seen on March 9. Photo: Getty

As all of Italy has been placed into lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus, eerie images show a near unrecognisable Venice as popular landmarks are empty of tourists.

The country’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte made the announcement on Monday less than 48 hours after several regions of Italy’s north, including the cities of Milan and Venice, were placed under similar restrictions.

Within hours of the announcement photos taken on March 9 show an empty Rialto bridge, an empty San Marco Square, and empty canals with unused Gondolas.

VENICE, ITALY - MARCH 9: A completely empty San Marco Square is seen on March 9, 2020 in Venice, Italy. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a "national emergency" due to the coronavirus outbreak and imposed quarantines on the Lombardy and Veneto regions, which contain roughly a quarter of the country's population. Italy has the highest number of cases and fatalities in Europe.  The movements in and out are allowed only for work reasons, health reasons proven by a medical certificate.The justifications for the movements needs to be certified with a self-declaration by filling in forms provided by the police forces in charge of the checks. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)
A completely empty San Marco Square. Photo: Getty Images
VENICE, ITALY - MARCH 9: A completely empty San Marco Square is seen on March 9, 2020 in Venice, Italy. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a "national emergency" due to the coronavirus outbreak and imposed quarantines on the Lombardy and Veneto regions, which contain roughly a quarter of the country's population. Italy has the highest number of cases and fatalities in Europe.  The movements in and out are allowed only for work reasons, health reasons proven by a medical certificate.The justifications for the movements needs to be certified with a self-declaration by filling in forms provided by the police forces in charge of the checks. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a "national emergency" due to the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Getty
VENICE, ITALY - MARCH 9: A completely empty canal with unused Gondole is seen on March 9, 2020 in Venice, Italy. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a "national emergency" due to the coronavirus outbreak and imposed quarantines on the Lombardy and Veneto regions, which contain roughly a quarter of the country's population. Italy has the highest number of cases and fatalities in Europe.  The movements in and out are allowed only for work reasons, health reasons proven by a medical certificate.The justifications for the movements needs to be certified with a self-declaration by filling in forms provided by the police forces in charge of the checks. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)
Gondolas sit unused in an empty canal on March 9, 2020 in Venice. Photo: Getty

Under current coronavirus restrictions in Italy, people can only travel if they have valid reason to either for work or emergencies.

Inbound and outbound passengers on flights, will have to justify their travel. Temporary visitors will be allowed to leave the country.

Up until recently, tourists were still braving the local sights, with images from just last week showing visitors wearing face masks.

Tourists wearing a protective face mask walk on San Marco square in Venice on March 8, 2020. - A quarter of the Italian population was locked down on March 8, 2020 as the government takes drastic steps to stop the spread of the deadly new coronavirus that is sweeping the globe, with Latin America recording its first fatality. (Photo by ANDREA PATTARO / AFP) (Photo by ANDREA PATTARO/AFP via Getty Images)
Tourists wearing a protective face mask walk on San Marco square. Photo: Getty
VENICE, ITALY - MARCH 06: Tourists with protective face masks take a selfie on the Rialto Bridge on March 06, 2020 in Venice, Italy. Venice is deserted because of COVID-19, yesterday, March 5, a third person died in the city due to the COVID-19 virus. The latest Civil Protection bulletin talks about 3,858 COVID-19 positives, 148 people died and 414 have recovered in Italy. (Photo by Stefano Mazzola/Awakening/Getty Images)
Tourists with protective face masks take a selfie. Photo: Getty

There have been 463 deaths in the country so far from the virus, the highest toll behind China.

The restrictions also include the closure of museums, theatres, cinemas and other public venues.

The scenes are a stark contrast from last year, with images from May 2019 showing tourists flooding the region.

Tourism is one of the main industries in Venice. Although many residents feel as though tourists can be a nuisance, they cannot ignore the fact that tourism is vital to the city's survival.

It is estimated that approximately 20 million tourists visit Venice annually and that number only increases as each year passes.

08 May 2019, Italy, Venedig: In the time of the pre-opening of the Art Biennale Venice 2019 tourists walk across St. Mark's Square. The international art exhibition starts on 11.05.2019 and ends on 24.11.2019. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa (Photo by Felix Hörhager/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Tourists walk across St. Mark's Square in April 2019. Photo: Getty
08 May 2019, Italy, Venedig: In the time of the pre-opening of the Art Biennale Venice 2019 crowds of people crowded the Piazza San Marco. The international art exhibition starts on 11.05.2019 and ends on 24.11.2019. Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa (Photo by Felix Hörhager/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Tourists gather at the pre-opening of the Art Biennale Venice 2019. Photo: Getty
VENICE, ITALY - MAY 21, 2019: Gondolas full of foreign tourists move in a small canal on May 21, 2019 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)
Gondolas full of foreign tourists move in a small canal on May 21, 2019 in Venice, Italy. Photo: Getty

It seems to be one thing after the next for Venice, after the city was faced with a major flooding event just last year.

Venice's iconic St Mark's Square was ordered closed in November as the historic city suffered its third major flooding in less than a week.

Venice's latest ‘acqua alta’, or high water, saw around 80 percent of the Renaissance city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, submerged, including churches, shops, and homes.

A massive infrastructure project called MOSE has been under way since 2003 to protect the city, but the multi-billion euro project has been plagued by cost overruns, corruption scandals and delays.

People walk across the flooded St. Mark's Square, by the Bell Tower (R) and St. Mark's Basilica (Rear) on November 24, 2019 in Venice during a high tide "Acqua Alta" meteorological phenomenon with a high of 140 cm expected. - Flood-hit Venice was bracing for another, though smaller, high tide on November 24, after Italy declared on November 15 a state of emergency for the UNESCO city where perilous deluges have caused millions of euros worth of damage. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)
People walk across the flooded St. Mark's Square, by the Bell Tower (R) and St. Mark's Basilica (Rear) on November 24, 2019. Photo: Getty
VENICE, ITALY - NOVEMBER 24: Local walks in Piazza San Marco on November 24, 2019 in Venice, Italy. Ten days after the exceptional and disastrous high tide today once again it reached 130 cm. (Photo by Stefano Mazzola/Awakening/Getty Images)
A local walks in Piazza San Marco on November 24, 2019. Photo: Getty

Additional reporting by AFP.

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