The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our way of life. Almost one year ago, schools were quickly closed, workplaces shut down, and people hid in their homes. But all the while, efforts to combat the virus’ outbreak have never ceased, and people have found new ways to adapt.

This will undoubtedly be a time none of us forget. Here’s a photographic documentation of how life has looked in Bucharest during the last few months.

Sign on the left: You must wear face masks inside the church. Sign on the right: Entrance.

A man plays violin on a bench in Cișmigiu Park.

A child looks around the park for his friend.

A common sight throughout the country: surgical masks and crosses hang from rearview mirrors.


People wait for the next train in Obor station during rush hour.

Once packed with pedestrians and fellow cyclists, a woman rides alone, outside of Herastrau Park.

 Two men pass their time playing chess in the park.

A Romanian student buys covrigi from outside a pastry shop’s plastic window.

A woman sells traditional Romanian rugs at the stairs of the metro in Victoriei.

Masked commuters at the Obor tram station.

The shoes worn by doctors and nurses that died from COVID.

Two women meet outside of their church on a Sunday evening, standing one meter apart.

Taking these pictures was a somber reminder of all the lives lost, the jobs lost, and the daily suffering of the general population. We hope the next set of photographs will show a much-needed evolution—the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.