POLLUTION SILVER LINING
Venice's canals are clear, and it could be because everyone is isolating themselves to avoid spreading the coronavirus

Kelly McLaughlin 19/3/2020




10 SLIDES © REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri

Venice is a tourist hotspot in Italy, and the canals are usually filled with boat traffic.

• Italy has been on lockdown in an attempt to prevent the further spread of coronavirus, which has infected more than 35,000 people nationwide.
• As people stay home, Venice's canals are finally clear.
• The canals' bottoms can be seen clearly, and photos from Venice and nearby Burano show fish and seaweed in the canals.
• The office of Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told CNN that the waters were clearer because less boat traffic means the sediment stays at the bottom of the canals.
• He said the country's water pollution has not decreased, but air quality has improved since the city went on lockdown earlier in March.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Venice's canals have turned clear, thanks to the stoppage of motorboat traffic while the country is on lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Italy is currently on lockdown as residents try to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 35,000 people in the country and caused more than 2,500 deaths. The country is one of the hardest-hit in the world. On Wednesday, it reported 475 new deaths, the most of any nation yet.

And while the city is generally bustling with tourists riding gondolas and going from island to island on water taxis and motorboats, Venice, much like the rest of Italy, is now quiet.

Photos taken across Venice show seaweed on the canals' bottoms, while photos of the nearby island of Burano show fish and swans in the water.

The office of Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said marine life has long lived in the canals, though less boat traffic means it's more visible.

"The water now looks clearer because there is less traffic on the canals, allowing the sediment to stay at the bottom," a spokesman told CNN. "It's because there is less boat traffic that usually brings sediment to the top of the water's surface."

Here's a look at what the canals look like now that Italy is on lockdown