Amid Italy's coronavirus lockdown, the waters in Venice turn clear
VENICE, Italy - Some people are calling this a silver lining. Italy has been one of the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus. This has resulted in the country being placed under a lockdown, which has left many normally busy tourist locations much emptier than usual.
This includes the canals of Venice, where boat traffic has been halted, the New York Post reported. The lack of traffic from cargo boats, cruise ships and tourist gondolas has reportedly caused the waters to turn crystal clear.
Twitter user Ikaveri shared photos from the famous waterways that show swans enjoying the quiet scene, along with some shots that show the water looking very clear.
The photos were captioned: “Here’s an unexpected side effect of the pandemic -- the water flowing through the canals of Venice is clear for the first time in forever. The fish are visible, the swans returned.”
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According to the New York Post, a spokesperson for the office of Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro explained the clear waters, saying: “The water now looks clearer because there is less traffic on the canals, allowing the sediment to stay at the bottom. It’s because there is less boat traffic that usually brings sediment to the top of the water’s surface.”
As of Wednesday, there are at least 35,713 total cases in Italy, the country’s health ministry announced. There are 14,363 hospitalized patients with symptoms, with 2,257 in intensive care, while 12,090 patients are in home isolation.
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The country has implemented severe lockdown restrictions across the country. On Tuesday, authorities implemented new measures requiring citizens to fill out police-issued self-declaration forms before going outside.
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.