Quarantine leaves villages outside Kyiv eerily empty (PHOTOS)

As more countries enter into lockdown or quarantine to curb the spread of COVID-19, people around the world are confined to their homes. Images of abandoned public spaces are now circulating on the internet, offering a jarring vision of cities without their typical hustle and bustle.

The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is no different than many cities around the world. Its streets are emptier than usual, storefronts are closed and tourist attractions are abandoned. 

Watch video: What Kyiv looks like under quarantine

But in the villages surrounding Kyiv, the desolation of life under quarantine is amplified. A drive through Kyiv Oblast, which has 49 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of the morning of March 30, revealed deserted villages amid the ongoing sowing campaign in local agriculture. 

Ukrainian officials imposed the first quarantine measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 12 by  closing schools and banning public events. Soon, they also shut the border to foreigners. In the following week, they shuttered most public places and halted public transit. The nationwide quarantine, which now includes more restrictions to limit people’s movement and enforce social distancing, has since been extended until April 24. 

All the restrictions enforced in the capital apply to villages too. Street vendors are gone. Playgrounds are empty. Grocery shops that are still open have stopped selling takeaway coffee and have signs announcing that no more than two people are allowed inside at once and visitors must wear masks. People obediently line up outside of post offices and keep a reasonable distance from one another. 

In quarantine, grocery shops are the epicenter of social life in the villages. Daily trips to the shop are an opportunity to have a walk outside and chat with other villagers.

In one such shop in Dmytrovychi village, a woman in her sixties wearing a mask jokingly tells the saleswoman: “All we are doing in quarantine is eating. Soon these masks won’t fit our faces.” The two giggle. 

Roads are empty: Since officials banned public transportation, mini-buses and buses that would travel to Kyiv or between villages stopped running. 

After a ride through sleepy, deserted villages, Vasylkiv, an administrative center in Kyiv Oblast, seems to be bustling with activity. A steady stream of people in masks walks on the streets around the market area. Next to the closed market, a man sells potatoes from his Soviet-era car. He also delivers them to people’s homes, according to a sign on the vehicle. 

“Right now we are going to the forest for a walk. But generally, we stay home, watch movies, read books and do her homework,” said Vasylkiv resident Olga Omelchenko, pointing to her daughter Kateryna. 

Kateryna’s school has switched to online classes, but the fifth-grader doesn’t like this new way of studying and says she misses her friends. 

A pensioner who introduced herself as Valentyna Stepanivna, but didn’t give her last name, was more blunt in her assessment of life under quarantine.

“How do we spend time in quarantine? At home. Going crazy!” she said.