These are truly unprecedented times. Photographers all over the world have already been documenting the sweeping changes that have been happening with COVID - empty monuments, empty streets, empty offices.
However, I think there are more subtle changes due to COVID. Knowing how COVID has affected me, I wanted to explore the changes within an ordinary community and how it has affected ordinary businesses and ordinary people. In these photos, I tried my best to objectively document the changes around my community of San Mateo. Although the large majority of the photos aren't anything artistically revolutionary, I believe these photos will age will long term.
San Mateo Caltrain station completely quiet during a normal work day. The Caltrain is still running, though.
Closures and boarded windows everywhere. There's something ironically sad about seeing businesses open since 1902 boarded up and closed. Some businesses like the toy shop on the bottom right decided to permanently close down.
Many businesses don't have their windows boarded up, and we can take a peek into the frozen slice of time and how the owners hurriedly left it. Verizon looked like a mess, it was as if someone had raided the store - garbage everywhere, and phones had been taken down. Of course, Verizon isn't the only one left in this state, many other businesses were left in similar states. I later went back to this location, Verizon is permanently closed.
Prized parking spots empty during quarantine.
Crosswalk buttons taped to prevent contamination and spreading of the disease.
Some old people looking at the COVID-19 sign at the park. They looked curious and lost, It seemed like their first time going out in a while.
These two saw me walking around taking pictures and told me to take a picture of them. It's nice to see some smiles during these times.
The parking lot for San Mateo Central Part is completely empty.
Public fields are closed using these low-effort blockades. It's really up to the each citizen's own conscious to not endanger others.
More empty parking lots.
The usually organized 99 Ranch was much messier during these times. Goods were left in boxes with no one to restock them. The speakers played safety messages on repeat the entire time. The entire scene felt very surreal, similar to those you see in apocalypse movies. I guess there's some realism to those movies.
Many public areas are closed. To enforce it, basketball hoops were taken down. This could also be seen happening in San Francisco as well.
A normally happy place taped off as if a crime scene.
