A display on the the Omni Dallas Hotel reads "Flatten The Curve" as seen from the Houston Street Viaduct in downtown Dallas at about 11:45 p.m. Monday, March 23, 2020. Dallas County's shelter-in-place order went into effect at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, requiring all people living in Dallas County to stay home - except for essential activities and jobs.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
As Dallas County’s “shelter in place” ban took effect at 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 23, 2020 our photographers hit the streets to capture the unprecedented effect. With newsgathering operations deemed essential, we can now show you in images the emptiness that many in their homes could not see.
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Then, oddly, the sun came out. After a week or more of torrential rains, flooding, and grey skies, spring sprung.
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With so many people either working from home, or sadly no longer working at all, many escaped the cooped up feeling of cabin fever that had set in.
Here, in photos, is a glimpse of the area between midnight and 8 pm Tuesday.
A solitary figure crosses the empty intersection of Main and Field streets in downtown Dallas at around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Dallas County’s shelter-in-place order went into effect at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, requiring all people living in Dallas County to stay home — except for essential activities and jobs.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
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Mark Anthony Jenkins looks out over the completely empty Commerce Street in front of the 7-Eleven store where he works in downtown Dallas at around 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)The lights of Reunion Tower form a heart in the fog above the neon Pegasus in front of the Omni Dallas Hotel at around 11:50 p.m. on Monday, March 23, 2020, as Reunion Tower unveiled a special light show series showcasing positive, uplifting messaging for the city of Dallas as the county shelter-in-place order went into effect.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)At 7:26 am on Tuesday -- the first morning after Dallas County's "shelter in place" order took effect -- Woodall Rodgers Freeway was nearly empty during what would normally have been the early morning rush hour in Dallas on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. (Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)
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At 7:53 am on Tuesday -- the first morning after Dallas County's "shelter in place" order took effect -- Main Street in downtown Dallas was mostly devoid of any traffic during what should have been early morning rush hour on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. (Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)
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Tuesday afternoon, medical professionals work at a Dallas County drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at Ellis Davis Field House on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Dallas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)A couple sunbathes on the roof of the The Katy in Victory Park Apartments as a man rides by on a bike on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Dallas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)Around 4:30 in the afternoon, groups of runners, cyclists and dog walkers use the Katy Trail near the Katy Trail Icehouse in Dallas, March 24, 2020. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins ordered residents of Dallas County to practice Shelter-in-Place starting Monday at 11:59pm. People can be out for essentials such as groceries, work and exercise, but must practice social distancing.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
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A solitary man sits on a dock at White Rock Lake in Dallas on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)A nearly empty Main Street in downtown Dallas just after 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, when the business day would normally be ending and commuters typically pour out to head home.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)A man cuts grass on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Plano.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)Piper Riggs (right), 8, and her mother Jessica wave as teachers from Walker Elementary School in the McKinney School District paraded in their vehicles past students homes in the school's neighborhood in McKinney on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The teachers held the event to do something fun to connect with their students while school is being held remotely inside homes during the time of coronavirus.(Stewart F. House / Special Contributor)
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Practicing their own form of social distancing, young people gather in the parking lot of McKinney High School on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)Light traffic passes by on U.S. Hwy. 75 near the Allen Premium Outlets mall on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, in a photo taken in the late afternoon. The mall was temporarily closed by its owners beginning on March 18th, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Collin County residents were ordered to stay home because of the coronavirus outbreak, effective immediately Tuesday. But businesses are being allowed to stay open — a major difference from Dallas County’s shelter-in-place order.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)A child holds up a smiley face ball on a playground at D.A. Hulcy Middle School on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Dallas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)What you need to know about coronavirus
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Smiley Pool contributed aerial photography to The Dallas Morning News team coverage of Hurricane Katrina that was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. He has also worked for the Houston Chronicle, Colorado Springs Gazette and Austin American-Statesman.
Lynda M. González covers breaking news, daily life, and sports as a staff visual journalist. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and master's degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from The University of Texas. Her favorite stories to photograph are those about the creative, resolved, and enterprising people of North Texas.
Michael Hamtil is a Visual Editor at The Dallas Morning News. Originally from Missouri, he finally made it to Texas in 2003. When he's not assigning, editing, coaching or advocating for visual journalism, Michael can be found enjoying his family, the outdoors and doing volunteer work. You can see more of his work at www.visual-leader.com
