Isolation, quarantine, and a rapidly changing environment, became part of our day to day routine, as COVID 19 spread across the world. A shelter-in-place order was issued across the United States. Across the country, places that housed town squares, lively crowds and were normally filled with people became "ghost towns". It was indescribable to see Boston downtown without a soul. Places like: City Hall Plaza, Faneuil Hall, the Old State House, Boston Common, and Boston Seaport District were devoid of life. Kendall Square in Cambridge was not better. All around was desolation. The few people around were masked, skeptical, and afraid to cross paths or interact with each other. It was not normal, and the comments one might have made just a few weeks before these photos were taken, loudly complaining about the overcrowded spaces, were just a wish that now seemed unattainable. The statue of Edward Everett Hale was adorned with a mask; a gesture to call attention towards the honorable work of sanitary personnel during this tough time, and an indication that masking, the loss of human contact, and fear was going to be our new normal. The author of "The Man Without a Country" would have never imagined the world could have experienced such a painful period in history.
