Here at VISOR, we’ve consistently reminded our readers to not go out unless it is absolutely necessary. Of course, that also extends to the members of our team. However, as much as I would like to stay home, I can’t.

You see, my mother has plasma cell myeloma, a type of blood cancer that forms bone tumors. Part of our routine includes going to the hospital several times a week for her blood tests and checkups. This is even made more difficult with the COVID-19 outbreak. My mom’s weak immune system means her body has a hard time defending itself from germs and, yes, viruses.

If there is one silver lining to this whole coronavirus situation, it’s that the open roads now allow us to travel from our house in Quezon City to Makati Medical Center in record time. What normally took us almost two hours on a busy day is now reduced to a short 30-minute drive, door to door. That’s great. Faster trips mean less time spent out on the road—and hence lower chances of getting exposed to the virus.

I have to admit this all feels strange. The normally jam-packed streets of Metro Manila are now sparsely filled. EDSA currently looks wide and clear enough for an airplane to land on. The Makati Central Business District is anything but busy and noisy. There’s bizarre, eerie beauty about our roads being devoid of vehicles.

As we made our way back home from the hospital, I captured these images of Ayala, Amorsolo, Dela Rosa and Salcedo in Makati City; Orense, Shaw Underpass, White Plains and Nepa Q Mart along EDSA; and East Avenue, Elliptical Road, Mindanao Avenue and Visayas Avenue in Quezon City. Let’s just say I’ve never seen Metro Manila this empty—not even during Holy Week (which, come to think of it, is fast approaching).

Stay safe inside, guys.