Not many of us live near Nathan Phillips Square, but those who do have noticed a total absence of the crowds that normally have to be avoided.

The site of tightly packed throngs of skaters, a free New Year's Eve celebration, selfies in front of the Toronto sign and countless other festivals and events, this landmark public space has now fallen silent.

Wild seeing Nathan Phillips square so empty

— El Jefe de los jefes (@KelvinTheBoss25)March 14, 2020

The spread of COVID-19 has caused a state of emergency to be declared in Ontario, and gatherings of more than 50 people have been banned.

As such, people are staying far away from communal spaces like Nathan Phillips Square.

The skating rink is now a pond, and a wide stretch of concrete next to it currently sits completely unused.

A few picnic tables are now all that dot the central urban space.

A figure or two can still be spotted wandering through the dystopian scene, but it's nowhere near the way it used to be here.

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Hard to believe no one is downtown and Nathan Phillips Square is empty on a cool sunny late afternoon. But see it for yourself. #covid_19 #marchbreak2020 #leafsnation #imbored

A post shared byFaisal(@faisaltoronto1933) onMar 15, 2020 at 4:11pm PDT

The scene is even more eerie from a bird's eye view.

One thing's for sure: when you take a look at Toronto's landmarks, it's abundantly clear it's not business as usual during this global pandemic.