As many Calgarians stay home during the coronavirus outbreak, some people are going out to buy essentials or work.
After doing all of my practicum work for LiveWire Calgary at home for the past four weeks, I decided to finally go out and take some photos.
PHOTOS BY LOU DE ASIS
My first stop on this journey was Whitehorn station. The station is a five minute walk from my house. There were a few people waiting outside on the platform for their train, but no one was inside the building.
After getting on board, I noticed that everyone was distancing themselves from each other. There weren’t many people around either. Calgary Transit has said there’s been a 90 per cent drop in ridership.
Twenty minutes later, I got off at City Hall station and made my way to Olympic Plaza. Hardly anybody to be seen.
Later, I made my way up Centre Street and went to James Short Park. All of the benches were empty and I ran into a playground that was closed and covered with caution tape.
During the walk to Eau Claire, there weren’t many pedestrians around. Although there were many people driving, most of the parking lots were empty.
Along the pathway, people were walking, jogging, and biking while practicing social distancing. People were still using the Peace Bridge to cross the Bow River. At one point, I was the only person standing on the bridge.
My next stop was SAIT. After arriving, I noticed that the station was empty. The entrances to SAIT and AUArts were blocked off. Going through Campus Centre wasn’t an option anymore, so I had to take the long way around.
All of the buildings on campus were closed. Thankfully, the weather wasn’t terrible.
After leaving SAIT, I got back on the train and went to Westbrook station.
Westbrook station wasn’t completely empty. I assumed most people inside went to the nearby Walmart to buy essentials. I didn’t stay for long and made my way to Chinook Centre.
While there were a few people waiting for trains and buses at Chinook station, the mall was a different story. The walkway was closed, so I had to walk to the old pedestrian bridge just to get across the street.
The parking lots were mostly empty. Although Shoppers Drug Mart and TD Bank were still open, Chinook Centre was a ghost town.
Finally, I went back downtown and visited the New Central Library. Normally bustling with a cross-section of people, the sidewalks around the library were mostly empty. After sticking around for a few minutes, it was time to head home.
