London (CNN) Spit into a cup when you land in an airport, and your DNA is stored. Every phone in every city talks to every other nearby device, their exchanges floating somewhere in the ether. Cross-border travel is enabled only by governments sharing data about millions of private movements.

These are all possible visions of a future that the coronavirus pandemic has rushed on us -- decades of change effected, sometimes it feels, in just weeks. But a lurch into an even more intense era of mass data-collection -- the vast hoovering up of who went near whom and when, who is healthy to travel, and even scraps of personal DNA languishing in databases -- appears to be on the verge of becoming the new reality. Will this grave new world intensify our desire for privacy, or extinguish what little left of it we had? It took the attacks of September 11, 2001 to shove aside the previous decade's phobia of mass surveillance, and usher in an era where many of us imagined the state was probably skimming our emails, in exchange for keeping us safe from terror. Over the next 15 years, billions of people agreed to a tacit deal where Facebook or Google were permitted to learn a staggering amount about them in exchange for free access to messaging apps, news, and shared pictures of a baby dancing, or a dog driving a car. China is installing surveillance cameras outside people's front doors ... and sometimes inside their homes Read More Eventually, that mutated into the heights exemplified by Cambridge Analytica -- private companies hoovering up the online lives of tens of millions in order to try to sway elections. But the challenge presented by Covid-19 -- and the urgent need to trace contacts and movements -- is of another scale of intimacy. South Korea located over 10,000 cellphones near the latest outbreak and texted them to suggest a coronavirus test. The UK government has toyed with a centralized database of movements and health records, secured by government cyber-spies, able potentially to see who has been sick and who they have been near. Russia and many others have issued QR codes . China is putting surveillance cameras right outside people's doors. Technology is again claiming the mantle of the savior we need to fill the gap between where we are now, and the new, knowledgeable and capable place we need to be. Apple and Google are again offering solutions government cannot -- embedding into our phones anonymous methods of knowing who we may have infected and when. We are already seeing the extraordinary potential of these technologies in limiting the spread of the disease. But if they become ubiquitous, where does this new scrutiny end? When does it stop being helpful? Will we look back at 2020 as the moment privacy finally evaporated? 'Mission creep' feared Few privacy advocates doubt the seismic nature of this moment. Some experts fear mission creep, while others see this as a chance to finally have our laws catch up with the digital age. Privacy International called Covid-19's impact on privacy "unprecedented." "9/11 ushered covert and overt surveillance regimes, many of which were unlawful," said Edin Omanovic, the campaign group's advocacy director. The surveillance industry "understands that this is an opportunity comparable to 9/11 in terms of legitimizing and normalizing surveillance. We've seen a huge willingness from people to help them as much as possible. However, helping health authorities fight the virus is different to helping security authorities use this moment as an opportunity for a data grab." The way in which technology chooses to adapt to the moment may also define its success after it. The urgency of action after 9/11 -- and the things that were done "just for now" that became commonplace and permanent -- carry valuable lessons that governments may still choose to ignore. Edward Snowden and other whistleblowers exposed how huge amounts of phone or email data had been hoovered up by governments routinely, leaving some unsure if their democratic way of life was being eroded or protected by their security agencies. Wary Germans hate sharing their data. Will they use a Covid-19 tracking app? Professor Jon Crowcroft, who pioneered one of the first influenza monitoring mobile apps at Cambridge University in 2011, said governments' introduction of apps, such as those in the UK, should be explicit about "sunsetting" -- the removal of data after a defined period. "Just having a clear position on deleting that data after, say, 30 days, when it is clearly of no use for anyone -- because contacts will have recovered, epidemiologists will have improved their models -- would really help the public trust," he said. Crowcroft fears two areas of "mission creep": the first being if the app or data is used to enforce isolation on people, and the second in imposing the need for an "immunity certificate" on a person who has the virus antibodies (though the science on this is far from settled). But he added that, as we have seen in the past, practicalities may triumph over privacy: we will perhaps be less fascinated by how the apps technically gather and store data, "but will like the idea of being able to get out (to work & socialize) more safely and possibly sooner." It's the same practical payoff that lured billions into social media; life was made better by platforms that did not appear to ask anything of you, yet created a trillion dollar industry boosted by the commercial and predictive power of observing social media users. Despite growing privacy concerns, some 2.5 billion people use still use Facebook every month. Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Mary Faye Cochran sings "You Are My Sunshine" to her son Stacey Smith from her senior-living facility in Smyrna, Georgia, on Sunday, May 10. It was Mother's Day in the United States. Hide Caption 1 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Pope Francis delivers a blessing from the window of his studio overlooking an empty St. Peter's Square on May 10. Hide Caption 2 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The San Isidro cemetery in Mexico City, which was temporarily closed to the public to limit the spread of Covid-19, is seen in this aerial photo from May 10. Hide Caption 3 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Mary Washington speaks through a window to her daughter Courtney Crosby and grandchild Sydney Crosby during a Mother's Day celebration at her senior-living facility in Smyrna. Hide Caption 4 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Briarcliff High School student participates in a parade of graduating seniors through Briarcliff Manor, New York, on Saturday, May 9. Hide Caption 5 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wear face masks while watching a Victory Day military parade in Minsk, Belarus, on May 9. The parade marked the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Hide Caption 6 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man rides past social-distancing markers in front of a shop in Brussels, Belgium, on May 9. Hide Caption 7 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man pauses as he places the casket of a relative into a van at a busy New York funeral home on May 9. Hide Caption 8 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Health-care workers wait for citizens to arrive at the Anna International Airport in Chennai, India, on May 9. People were arriving in Chennai from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hide Caption 9 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man wearing a face mask cycles through Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan, on Friday, May 8. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Japan will extend its state of emergency until the end of May. Hide Caption 10 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak American citizens who were stranded in Syria due to the pandemic arrive at the Lebanese border on their way to the Beirut airport, where they would be leaving for the United States. Hide Caption 11 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak During a protest in Washington on Thursday, May 7, members of National Nurses United stand among empty shoes that they say represent nurses who have died from Covid-19. Hide Caption 12 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker helps disinfect a subway train in New York on Wednesday, May 6. The subway syatem was shut down for a deep-cleaning. Hide Caption 13 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak High school students study in a classroom in Wuhan, China, as they returned to school on May 6. Hide Caption 14 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A nursery is disinfected in Cannes, France, on May 6. Nurseries in France were to gradually reopen on May 11. Hide Caption 15 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Refrigerated trucks are seen at a morgue that opened in New York to assist overwhelmed funeral homes. Hide Caption 16 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Migrant workers in New Delhi walk toward the Sarai Kale Khan Bus Terminus on May 3 after learning that the government was preparing to send migrant workers back to their home states during the lockdown. In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all states to seal their borders to stop the coronavirus from being imported into rural areas. Hide Caption 17 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People exercise on a seafront promenade in Barcelona, Spain, on May 2. Spaniards filled the country's streets to work out for the first time after seven weeks of confinement in their homes. Hide Caption 18 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Michigan state police prevent protesters from entering the chamber of the Michigan House of Representatives on April 30. The protesters were unhappy with the state's stay-at-home order. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently extended the order through May 15, though restrictions were relaxed so some businesses could reopen. Hide Caption 19 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak This aerial photo shows surfers accessing Sydney's Tamarama Beach on April 29. Several Sydney beaches reopened for exercise only. Hide Caption 20 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak US Vice President Mike Pence visits Dennis Nelson, a patient who survived the coronavirus and was going to give blood, during a tour of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on April 28. Pence chose not to wear a face mask during the tour despite the facility's policy that's been in place since April 13. Pence told reporters that he wasn't wearing a mask because he's often tested for coronavirus. Hide Caption 21 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A barber wears protective equipment as he cuts a customer's hair in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 27. Hide Caption 22 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak After recovering from the coronavirus, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work on April 27. Hide Caption 23 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Health workers at a coronavirus testing center in New Delhi attend to a colleague who fainted due to exhaustion on April 27. Hide Caption 24 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Families walk along a boulevard in Barcelona, Spain, on April 26. The government now allows children to go out once a day, for one hour, within about half a mile of their homes, with one adult who lives with them. Up to three kids can go with each adult. Hide Caption 25 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A muezzin, the person at a mosque who calls Muslims to daily prayers, reads the Quran at a mosque in Gaza City after Ramadan began on April 24. Hide Caption 26 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Pitrik van der Lubbe waves from a boom lift to his 88-year-old father, Henk, at his father's nursing home in Gouda, Netherlands, on April 24. Pitrik had not seen his father in more than four weeks. Hide Caption 27 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Protesters shout slogans against Lebanese Central Bank governor Riad Salamé as they block Hamra Street in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 23. Anti-government protesters have been demonstrating in Beirut as they continue to endure one of its worst-ever economic crises. Hide Caption 28 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A boy plays hopscotch at his home in A Coruna, Spain, on April 23. Hide Caption 29 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A dentist wears protective equipment while treating a patient in Den Bosch, Netherlands, on April 22. Hide Caption 30 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Biology teachers prepare to hold an exam at a secondary school in Berlin on April 22. Hide Caption 31 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A volunteer in Yangon, Myanmar, spreads calcium oxide on a road to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus on April 22. Hide Caption 32 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Migrants wave from balconies at a hotel in Kranidi, Greece, on April 21. The shelter, which hosts 470 asylum seekers, was placed in isolation after a pregnant resident tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Hide Caption 33 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man disinfects a ceiling lamp at the Čobanija Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on April 21. Hide Caption 34 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A nurse holds a newborn baby, wearing a face shield as a protective measure, at a maternity facility in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 21. Hide Caption 35 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Health workers at Madrid's La Paz Hospital hold a minute of silence to remember Joaquin Diaz, the hospital's chief of surgery who died because of the coronavirus. Hide Caption 36 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman applauds from the balcony of her Paris home to show support for health care workers on April 20. Hide Caption 37 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A health care worker stands in a Denver street on April 19 to counterprotest the hundreds of people who were demanding that stay-at-home orders be lifted. Hide Caption 38 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Mayor's office workers wear protective suits as they conduct a census in a Bogota, Colombia, neighborhood on April 19. They were trying to find out how many families needed to be provided with food. Hide Caption 39 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The class of 2020 tosses hats into the air at the Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Hide Caption 40 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman sticks her tongue out of a torn mask at a Reopen Maryland rally outside the State House in Annapolis, Maryland, on April 18. Residents in multiple states have been protesting stay-at-home orders. Hide Caption 41 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Newly married Tyler and Caryn Suiters embrace following their marriage ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, on April 18. The Rev. Andrew Merrow and his wife, Cameron, were the only other attendees at the ceremony, which was held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church. Hide Caption 42 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Abed Khankan cuts a customer's hair outdoors in Malmo, Sweden, on April 17. Hide Caption 43 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Two women walk to rent a small paddle boat by the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 17. Hide Caption 44 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Cars sit at a newly opened drive-in cinema in Dortmund, Germany, on April 17. It's in front of a former blast furnace. Hide Caption 45 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Funeral workers in Manaus, Brazil, prepare the grave of a woman who is suspected to have died from the coronavirus. Hide Caption 46 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A member of the Don Bosco Foundation delivers food from the Fraternitas Project, which serves vulnerable families in Seville, Spain, on April 16. Hide Caption 47 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Police officers try on personal protective equipment in Amritsar, India, on April 16. Hide Caption 48 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers in Nairobi, Kenya, fumigate the streets and the stalls of the City Park Market on April 15. Hide Caption 49 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Novice Buddhist monks wear face shields at the Molilokayaram Educational Institute in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 15. Hide Caption 50 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman sits on a bench at an empty metro station in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 15. Hide Caption 51 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Health workers in Barcelona, Spain, acknowledge people who were showing their support from their balconies and windows. Hide Caption 52 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak South Korean election officials sort out parliamentary ballots at a gymnasium in Seoul on April 15. Hide Caption 53 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers from the garment sector in Dhaka, Bangladesh, block a road during a protest demanding payment of unpaid wages. Hide Caption 54 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman meets with her son in a "Quarantainer," a container devised to allow people to visit each other without risking the spread of coronavirus, at a care center in Utrecht, Netherlands, on April 14. Hide Caption 55 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Firefighters transfer a patient from an ambulance in Montpelier, France, on April 14. Hide Caption 56 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A cemetery worker pauses while digging graves at the San Vicente cemetery in Cordoba, Argentina, on April 14. Hide Caption 57 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers produce protective face masks at a new factory near Tehran, Iran, on April 14. Hide Caption 58 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Protesters stand outside the Statehouse Atrium in Columbus, Ohio, on April 13, to voice their opposition to stay-at-home orders. About 100 protesters assembled outside the building during Gov. Mike DeWine's weekday update on the state's response to the pandemic. Hide Caption 59 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical workers in Istanbul clap for 107-year-old Havahan Karadeniz as she is discharged from the hospital on April 13. She had just recovered from the coronavirus. Hide Caption 60 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People in Seoul, South Korea, listen to a speech from Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is campaigning for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Hide Caption 61 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A flower shop employee destroys unsold flowers in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 13. Hide Caption 62 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A police officer requests that people return to return to their homes during a gathering that marked the Bisket Jatra festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Hide Caption 63 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A doctor in a protective chamber tests a patient for coronavirus at a walk-in kiosk in Chennai, India, on April 13. Hide Caption 64 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Musicians play their instruments for a retirement home in Karben, Germany, on April 13. Hide Caption 65 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman covers herself with plastic as heavy rain falls outside a New York hospital on April 13. Hide Caption 66 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People in Jerusalem attend the funeral of Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, Israel's former chief rabbi who died from coronavirus complications. Hide Caption 67 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak In Rio de Janeiro, the Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated to make Christ look like a doctor on April 12. Hide Caption 68 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Pedro Opeka, founder of the Akamasoa Association, conducts the traditional Easter Mass in a granite quarry while maintaining social distancing in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on April 12. Hide Caption 69 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Bodies are stored in a vacant room at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit. Two sources told CNN that at least one room, which is typically used for studies on sleeping habits, was used to store bodies because the morgue was full and morgue staff did not work at night. Hide Caption 70 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A couple stands in a park along the Yangtze River in Wuhan, China. Hide Caption 71 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Priest-in-charge Angie Smith uses her phone to broadcast an Easter service from a churchyard in Hartley Wintney, England, on April 12. Hide Caption 72 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Children wave to a person dressed as the Easter Bunny during a neighborhood parade in Haverford, Pennsylvania, on April 10. Hide Caption 73 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Health workers in Leganes, Spain, cry during a memorial for a co-worker who died because of the coronavirus. Hide Caption 74 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Volunteers spray disinfectant in a favela in Rio de Janeiro on April 10. Hide Caption 75 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Bodies are buried on New York's Hart Island on April 9. New York City officials say that Hart Island, which for decades has been used as the final resting place for people who died unclaimed, will also be used for unclaimed coronavirus victims. Hide Caption 76 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A health care worker holds the hand of a coronavirus patient being moved at a hospital near Barcelona, Spain, on April 9. Hide Caption 77 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Service boats spray water in London to show support for health care workers on April 9. Hide Caption 78 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Employees of Hyundai Card, a credit card company, sit behind protective screens as they eat in an office cafeteria in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9. Hide Caption 79 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wait in their cars for the San Antonio Food Bank to begin food distribution on April 9. Hide Caption 80 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker disinfects a carved cross at the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira, Colombia, on April 8. Hide Caption 81 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A cake shop employee in Athens, Greece, prepares chocolate Easter bunnies with face masks on April 8. Hide Caption 82 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Californians Sarah and Aaron Sanders, along with their children, use video conferencing to celebrate a Passover Seder with other family members on April 8. Hide Caption 83 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A medical staff member from China's Jilin province, center, cries while hugging nurses from Wuhan on April 8. Wuhan was reopening its borders after 76 days. Hide Caption 84 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Cars in Wuhan line up to leave at a highway toll station. Hide Caption 85 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Rabbi Yaakov Kotlarsky places Passover Seder to-go packages into a car trunk in Arlington Heights, Illinois, on April 7. Hide Caption 86 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman in London shows her support for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on April 7. Johnson was hospitalized after his coronavirus symptoms "worsened," according to his office. Hide Caption 87 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A voter checks in to cast a ballot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on April 7. The state was going through with its presidential primary despite the pandemic. Hide Caption 88 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man is sprayed with disinfectant prior to going to a market in Tirana, Albania, on Monday, April 6. Hide Caption 89 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Izzie, left, and Tippi wear ventilated dog masks in Philadelphia on April 6. Hide Caption 90 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wait in line to bury loved ones at a cemetery in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on April 6. In some parts of the overwhelmed city, bodies have been left on the streets. Hide Caption 91 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Police detain a doctor in Quetta, Pakistan, who was among dozens of health care workers protesting a lack of personal protective equipment on April 6. Hide Caption 92 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Catholic priest sprinkles holy water on devotees during Palm Sunday celebrations in Quezon City, Philippines, on Sunday, April 5. Hide Caption 93 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People shine lights from their balcony during a nationwide candlelight vigil in Bangalore, India, on April 5. Hide Caption 94 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman in Glasgow, Scotland, watches Britain's Queen Elizabeth II give a television address regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Hide Caption 95 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Paramilitary members unload provisions in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday, April 4. It was the first day of government food distribution for people affected by the nation's lockdown. Hide Caption 96 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A police officer wearing a coronavirus-themed outfit walks in a market in Chennai, India, to raise awareness about social distancing. Hide Caption 97 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman in Moscow cooks while watching Russian President Vladimir Putin address the nation over the coronavirus pandemic. Hide Caption 98 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The hashtag "stayhome" is projected onto the Matterhorn mountain that straddles Switzerland and Italy on April 1. The mountain was illuminated by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter, who is transforming buildings, monuments and landscapes all over the world to raise awareness during the pandemic. Hide Caption 99 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Volunteers load food bags on a truck to deliver them to low-income families in Panama City, Panama, on April 1. Hide Caption 100 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Designer Friederike Jorzig adjusts a mannequin wearing a wedding dress and a face mask at her store in Berlin on March 31. Hide Caption 101 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People pray next to the grave of musician Robson de Souza Lopes after his burial in Manaus, Brazil, on March 31. According to authorities at the Amazonas Health Secretary, the 43-year-old died after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Hide Caption 102 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Chris Lyndberg hands out a free lunch to a truck driver at a rest area along Interstate 10 in Sacaton, Arizona, on March 31. The Arizona Trucking Association was giving away 500 Dilly's Deli lunches to show its appreciation for truck drivers who have been delivering medical supplies, food and other necessities during the coronavirus pandemic. Hide Caption 103 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, reaches New York City on March 30. Another hospital ship is in Los Angeles. Both will take some of the pressure off medical facilities that are strained because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hide Caption 104 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak An emergency field hospital is constructed in New York's Central Park on March 30. Hide Caption 105 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Farmers deliver vegetables to a customer in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher, France, on March 29. Hide Caption 106 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People listen from their homes as priests conduct Sunday mass from a church roof in Rome on March 29. Hide Caption 107 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Gyorgy David Jablonovszky and his bride, Timea, are joined by close relatives during their wedding ceremony in Miskolc, Hungary, on March 28. Because of the coronavirus, engaged couples across the globe have had to rethink their walks down the aisle. Hide Caption 108 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker fixes partitions at a quarantine center in Guwahati, India, on March 28. Hide Caption 109 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Devices used in diagnosing the coronavirus are inspected in Cheongju, South Korea, on March 27. The devices were being prepared for testing kits at the bio-diagnostic company SD Biosensor. Hide Caption 110 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A student does homework in Bratislava, Slovakia, on March 27. Schools have been shut down across the world, and many children have been receiving their lessons online. Hide Caption 111 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A National Guard truck sprays disinfectant in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 27. Hide Caption 112 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wearing face masks walk near the USNS Mercy after the Navy hospital ship arrived in the Los Angeles area to assist local hospitals dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Hide Caption 113 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Pope Francis prays in an empty St. Peter's Square on March 27. Hide Caption 114 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Coffins carrying coronavirus victims are stored in a warehouse in Ponte San Pietro, Italy, on March 26. They would be transported to another area for cremation. Hide Caption 115 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard prepare to take part in disinfecting the city of Tehran on March 25. Hide Caption 116 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Lydia Hassebroek attends a ballet class from her home in New York on March 25. Hide Caption 117 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People visit the Beijing Zoo on March 25 after it reopened its outdoor exhibits to the public. Hide Caption 118 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Olympic flame is displayed in Iwaki, Japan, on March 25, a day after the 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed. Hide Caption 119 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman suspected of having coronavirus is helped from her home by emergency medical technicians Robert Sabia, left, and Mike Pareja, in Paterson, New Jersey, on March 24. Hide Caption 120 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People practice social distancing as they wait for takeout food at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 24. Hide Caption 121 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Authorities are seen in Madrid, where an ice rink has been converted into a makeshift morgue to cope with the coronavirus fallout. Hide Caption 122 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A tourist wears a face mask while visiting the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China on March 24. The section reopened to visitors after being closed for two months. Hide Caption 123 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People arrive at the South Municipal Cemetery in Madrid to attend the burial of a man who died from the coronavirus. Hide Caption 124 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on March 23. Hide Caption 125 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Giuseppe Corbari holds Sunday Mass in front of photographs sent in by his congregation members in Giussano, Italy, on March 22. Many religious services are being streamed online so that people can worship while still maintaining their distance from others. Hide Caption 126 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People clap from balconies to show their appreciation for health care workers in Mumbai, India. Hide Caption 127 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman attends a Sunday service at the Nairobi Baptist Church in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 22. The service was streamed live on the internet. Hide Caption 128 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Syrian Red Crescent member sprays disinfectant along an alley of the historic Hamidiyah market in Damascus, Syria. Hide Caption 129 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People are seen on California's Huntington Beach on March 21. Crowds descended on California beaches, hiking trails and parks over the weekend in open defiance of a state order to shelter in place and avoid close contact with others. Hide Caption 130 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A funeral service is held without family members in Bergamo, Italy, on March 21. Hide Caption 131 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A member of the Syrian Violet relief group disinfects tents at a camp for displaced people in Kafr Jalis, Syria, on March 21. Hide Caption 132 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A doctor examines Juan Vasquez inside a testing tent at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York on March 20. Hide Caption 133 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Mass in Rio de Janeiro honors coronavirus victims around the world on March 18. Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue was lit up with flags and messages of hope in solidarity with countries affected by the pandemic. Hide Caption 134 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff wearing protective suits ride down an escalator at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport on March 18. Hide Caption 135 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Hasidic Jewish men take part in a "social distancing" minyan in New York on March 17. Hide Caption 136 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A patient in a biocontainment unit is carried on a stretcher in Rome on March 17. Hide Caption 137 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A pedestrian walks a dog through a quiet street in New York on March 17. Hide Caption 138 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People gather to collect free face masks in New Delhi on March 17. Hide Caption 139 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Dermot Hickey, left, and Phillip Vega ask a pedestrian in New York to take their picture on a thinly trafficked Fifth Avenue on March 17. Many streets across the world are much more bare as people distance themselves from others. In the United States, the White House advised people not to gather in groups of more than 10. Hide Caption 140 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Students at the Attarkiah Islamic School wear face masks during a ceremony in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on March 17. Hide Caption 141 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wait outside a Woolworths store in Sunbury, Australia on March 17. Australian supermarket chains announced special shopping hours for the elderly and people with disabilities so that they can shop in less crowded aisles. Hide Caption 142 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A member of Spain's Military Emergencies Unit carries out a general disinfection at the Malaga airport on March 16. Hide Caption 143 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Displaced families near Atme, Syria, attend a workshop aimed at spreading awareness about the coronavirus. Hide Caption 144 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak French President Emmanuel Macron is seen on a screen in Paris as he announces new coronavirus containment measures on March 16. France has been put on lockdown, and all nonessential outings are outlawed and can draw a fine of up to €135 ($148). Macron also promised to support French businesses by guaranteeing €300 billion worth of loans and suspending rent and utility bills owed by small companies. Hide Caption 145 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A police officer checks the temperatures of bus passengers at a checkpoint in Manila, Philippines, on March 16. Hide Caption 146 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Flowers are stored prior to their destruction at a flower auction in Aalsmeer, Netherlands, on March 16. Lower demand due to the coronavirus outbreak is threatening the Dutch horticultural sector, forcing the destruction of products. Hide Caption 147 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Body temperatures are scanned as people enter the Buddhist temple Wat Pho in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 13. Hide Caption 148 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Two nuns greet neighbors from their balcony in Turin, Italy, on Sunday, March 15. Hide Caption 149 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Pope Francis, inside the Church of San Marcello in Rome's city center, prays at a famous crucifix that believers claim helped to save Romans from the plague in 1522. Hide Caption 150 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers wait for their flights at Marrakesh Airport in Morocco on March 15. Hide Caption 151 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak US Vice President Mike Pence takes a question during a White House briefing about the coronavirus on March 15. Hide Caption 152 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Sea World employee sprays disinfectant in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday, March 14. Hide Caption 153 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wait in line to go through customs at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on March 14. Travelers returning from Europe say they were being made to wait for hours at US airports, often in close quarters, as personnel screened them for the coronavirus. Hide Caption 154 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Hundreds of people lined up to enter a Costco in Novato, California, on March 14. Many people have been stocking up on food, toilet paper and other items. As a response to panic buying, retailers in the United States and Canada have started limiting the number of toilet paper that customers can buy in one trip. Hide Caption 155 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A member of the White House physician's office takes a media member's temperature in the White House briefing room on March 14. It was ahead of a news conference with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Hide Caption 156 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A nurse in Cremona, Italy, takes a moment in this heartbreaking photo posted to Instagram by photographer Paolo Miranda. Italy's health care system has been severely tested by the coronavirus pandemic. Hide Caption 157 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Reporters in Arlington, Virginia, sit approximately 4 feet apart during a briefing by Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie on March 13. Hide Caption 158 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People walk past a closed Broadway theater on March 13 after New York canceled all gatherings over 500 people. Hide Caption 159 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Costco customer stands by two shopping carts in Richmond, California, on March 13. Hide Caption 160 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A teacher works in an empty classroom at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain. Hide Caption 161 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman looks at an empty bread aisle in Antwerp, Belgium, on March 13. Hide Caption 162 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Employees of the Greek Parliament wear plastic gloves ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Hide Caption 163 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A motorcyclist drives through disinfectant sprayed in Jammu, India, on March 13. Hide Caption 164 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers prepare to construct an additional building on a hospital on the outskirts of Moscow. Hide Caption 165 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Paul Boyer, head equipment manager of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, wheels out equipment bags in Washington on March 12. The NHL is among the sports leagues that have suspended their seasons. Hide Caption 166 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Students leave Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, Washington, on March 12. Beginning the following day, schools in the Snohomish school district planned to be closed through April 24. Hide Caption 167 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak An Uber Eats delivery biker stands at a deserted Piazza di Spagna in Rome. Hide Caption 168 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, watch a live broadcast of US President Donald Trump on March 12. Trump announced that, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, he would sharply restrict travel from more than two dozen European countries. Hide Caption 169 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers in protective suits disinfect Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace on March 11. Hide Caption 170 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A person wearing a face mask walks outside of a shopping mall in Beijing on March 11. Hide Caption 171 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Police officers restrain the relative of an inmate outside the Sant'Anna jail in Modena, Italy, on March 9. Riots broke out in several Italian jails after visits were suspended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Hide Caption 172 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff in Wuhan, China, celebrate after all coronavirus patients were discharged from a temporary hospital on March 9. Hide Caption 173 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 9. Stocks plummeted as coronavirus worries and an oil price race to the bottom weighed on global financial markets. Hide Caption 174 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Rescuers search for victims at the site of a collapsed hotel in Quanzhou, China, on March 8. The hotel was being used as a coronavirus quarantine center. Hide Caption 175 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Grand Princess cruise ship, carrying at least 21 people who tested positive for coronavirus, is seen off the coast of San Francisco on March 8. The ship was being held at sea. Hide Caption 176 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Sumo wrestlers attend a tournament in Osaka, Japan, that was being held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak. Hide Caption 177 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A couple rides a bicycle at a park in Seoul, South Korea, on March 7. Hide Caption 178 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A volunteer from Blue Sky Rescue uses fumigation equipment to disinfect a residential compound in Beijing on March 5. Hide Caption 179 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Airmen from the California National Guard drop coronavirus testing kits down to the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California on March 5. Hide Caption 180 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Municipal workers are seen at the Kaaba, inside Mecca's Grand Mosque. Saudi Arabia emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilization over coronavirus fears, an unprecedented move after the kingdom suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage. Hide Caption 181 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers react as a worker wearing a protective suit disinfects the departure area of a railway station in Hefei, China, on March 4. Hide Caption 182 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Teachers at the Nagoya International School in Japan conduct an online class for students staying at home as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus. Hide Caption 183 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Soldiers spray disinfectant throughout a shopping street in Seoul. Hide Caption 184 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Muslim worshipper attends a mass prayer against coronavirus in Dakar, Senegal, on March 4. It was after cases were confirmed in the country. Hide Caption 185 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wear face masks in New York's Times Square on March 3. New York reported its first case of coronavirus two days earlier. Hide Caption 186 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A security guard stands on the Shibuya Sky observation deck in Tokyo on March 3. Hide Caption 187 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak US President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, speaks during a meeting with pharmaceutical executives and the White House coronavirus task force on March 2. Throughout the meeting, Trump was hyperfocused on pressing industry leaders in the room for a timeline for a coronavirus vaccine and treatment. But experts at the table -- from the administration and the pharmaceutical industry -- repeatedly emphasized that a vaccine can't be rushed to market before it's been declared safe for the public. Hide Caption 188 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff stand outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on March 1. Hide Caption 189 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Health care workers transfer a patient at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, on March 1. The long-term care facility is linked to confirmed coronavirus cases. Hide Caption 190 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a London laboratory of the Public Health England National Infection Service. Hide Caption 191 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Tomoyuki Sugano, a professional baseball player on the Yomiuri Giants, throws a pitch in an empty Tokyo Dome during a preseason game on February 29. Fans have been barred from preseason games to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Hide Caption 192 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Commuters wearing masks make their way to work during morning rush hour at the Shinagawa train station in Tokyo on February 28. Hide Caption 193 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff transport a coronavirus patient within the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 28. Hide Caption 194 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Inter Milan plays Ludogorets in an empty soccer stadium in Milan, Italy, on February 27. The match was ordered to be played behind closed doors as Italian authorities continue to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak. Hide Caption 195 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A bank clerk disinfects banknotes in China's Sichuan province on February 26. Hide Caption 196 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A child wearing a protective face mask rides on a scooter in an empty area in Beijing. Hide Caption 197 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A Catholic devotee wears a face mask as he is sprinkled with ash during Ash Wednesday services in Paranaque, Philippines, on February 26. Hide Caption 198 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People disinfect Qom's Masumeh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on February 25. Hide Caption 199 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker in Daegu stacks plastic buckets containing medical waste from coronavirus patients on February 24. Hide Caption 200 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Paramedics carry a stretcher off an ambulance in Hong Kong on February 23. Hide Caption 201 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People attend a professional soccer match in Kobe, Japan, on February 23. To help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the soccer club Vissel Kobe told fans not to sing, chant or wave flags in the season opener against Yokohama FC. Hide Caption 202 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A team of volunteers disinfects a pedestrian bridge in Bangkok, Thailand. Hide Caption 203 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man rides his bike in Beijing on February 23. Hide Caption 204 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Hospital personnel in Codogno, Italy, carry new beds inside the hospital on February 21. The hospital is hosting some people who have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Hide Caption 205 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Doctors look at a CT scan of a lung at a hospital in Xiaogan, China, on February 20. Hide Caption 206 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A sales clerk wears a mask as she waits for customers at a hat shop in Beijing on February 18. Small companies that help drive China's economy are worried about how much damage the coronavirus outbreak will cause to business. Hide Caption 207 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Buses carrying American passengers arrive at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo on February 17. The passengers were leaving the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship to be repatriated to the United States. Hide Caption 208 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A medical worker rests at the isolation ward of the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 16. Hide Caption 209 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Authorities watch as the Westerdam cruise ship approaches a port in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on February 13. Despite having no confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, the Westerdam was refused port by four other Asian countries before being allowed to dock in Cambodia. Hide Caption 210 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker has his temperature checked on a shuttered commercial street in Beijing on February 12. Hide Caption 211 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Beds are made in the Wuhan Sports Center, which has been converted into a temporary hospital. Hide Caption 212 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A child rides a scooter past a police officer wearing protective gear outside the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11. More than 100 people evacuated the housing block after four residents in two different apartments tested positive for the coronavirus. Hide Caption 213 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Relatives of quarantined passengers wave at the Diamond Princess cruise ship as it leaves a port in Yokohama, Japan, to dump wastewater and generate potable water. Dozens of people on the ship were infected with coronavirus. Hide Caption 214 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Deneway branch of the County Oak Medical Centre is closed amid coronavirus fears in Brighton, England, on February 11. Several locations in and around Brighton were quarantined after a man linked to several coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom came into contact with health-care workers and members of the public. Hide Caption 215 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A police officer, left, wears protective gear as he guards a cordon at the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11. Hide Caption 216 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker wears a protective suit as he waits to screen people entering an office building in Beijing on February 10. China's workforce is slowly coming back to work after the coronavirus outbreak forced many parts of the country to extend the Lunar New Year holiday by more than a week. Hide Caption 217 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Chinese President Xi Jinping has his temperature checked during an appearance in Beijing on February 10. Hide Caption 218 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Photojournalists wearing face masks take photos of a bus carrying passengers after they disembarked from the World Dream cruise ship in Hong Kong on February 9. More than 5,300 people were quarantined on two cruise ships off Hong Kong and Japan. Hide Caption 219 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People participating in a Lunar New Year Parade in New York City hold signs reading, "Wuhan stay strong!" on February 9. Hide Caption 220 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A shopper walks past empty shelves at a grocery store in Hong Kong on February 9. China's Ministry of Commerce encouraged supermarkets and grocery stores to resume operations as the country's voluntary or mandatory quarantines began to take an economic toll. Hide Caption 221 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A worker wearing a protective suit uses a machine to disinfect a business establishment in Shanghai, China, on February 9. Hide Caption 222 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers in protective gear walk near the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama on February 7. Hide Caption 223 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People in Hong Kong attend a vigil February 7 for whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang. Li, 34, died in Wuhan after contracting the virus while treating a patient. Hide Caption 224 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman grieves while paying tribute to Li at Li's hospital in Wuhan on February 7. Hide Caption 225 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Anthem of the Seas cruise ship is seen docked at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on February 7. Passengers were to be screened for coronavirus as a precaution, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN. Hide Caption 226 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A light installation is displayed by striking members of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance and other activists at the Hospital Authority building in Hong Kong on February 7. Hide Caption 227 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers are seen on the deck of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked at the Yokohama Port on February 7. Hide Caption 228 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Flight attendants wearing face masks make their way through Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok on February 7. Hide Caption 229 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers check sterile medical gloves at a latex-product manufacturer in Nanjing, China, on February 6. Hide Caption 230 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a Beijing market on February 6. Hide Caption 231 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak This aerial photo shows the Leishenshan Hospital that is being built in Wuhan to handle coronavirus patients. Hide Caption 232 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A passenger shows a note from the World Dream cruise ship docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong on February 5. Hide Caption 233 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A mask is seen on a statue in Beijing on February 5. Hide Caption 234 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak An ambulance stops at a traffic light in front of the Grand Lisboa Hotel in Macao. The virus turned China's gambling mecca into a ghost town. Hide Caption 235 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A dog in Beijing wears a makeshift mask constructed from a paper cup. Hide Caption 236 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Striking hospital workers in Hong Kong demand the closure of the border with mainland China on February 4. Hide Caption 237 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak The Diamond Princess cruise ship sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on February 4. It arrived a day earlier with passengers feeling ill. Hide Caption 238 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A medical worker wearing protective gear waits to take the temperature of people entering Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong on February 4. Hide Caption 239 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical workers in protective suits help transfer patients to a newly completed field hospital in Wuhan. Hide Caption 240 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wearing protective overalls talk outside a Wuhan hotel housing people in isolation on February 3. Hide Caption 241 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A man stands in front of TV screens broadcasting a speech by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on February 3. Lam said the city would shut almost all border-control points to the mainland. Hide Caption 242 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A colleague sprays disinfectant on a doctor in Wuhan on February 3. Hide Caption 243 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Commuters in Tokyo walk past an electric board displaying dismal stock prices on February 3, the first business day after the Chinese New Year. Asia's markets recorded their worst day in years as investors finally got a chance to react to the worsening coronavirus outbreak. Hide Caption 244 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical workers move a coronavirus patient into an isolation ward at the Second People's Hospital in Fuyang, China, on February 1. Hide Caption 245 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift masks while waiting to check in to a flight at the Beijing Capital Airport on January 30. Hide Caption 246 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers in Hong Kong wear protective masks as they wait to board a train at Lo Wu Station, near the mainland border, on January 30. Hide Caption 247 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A volunteer wearing protective clothing disinfects a street in Qingdao, China, on January 29. Hide Caption 248 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Nanning residents line up to buy face masks from a medical appliance store on January 29. Hide Caption 249 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Lyu Jun, left, a member of a medical team leaving for Wuhan, says goodbye to a loved one in Urumqi, China, on January 28. Hide Caption 250 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A charter flight from Wuhan arrives at an airport in Anchorage, Alaska, on January 28. The US government chartered the plane to bring home US citizens and diplomats from the American consulate in Wuhan. Hide Caption 251 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak South Korean President Moon Jae-in wears a mask to inspect the National Medical Center in Seoul on January 28. Hide Caption 252 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, center, attends a news conference in Hong Kong on January 28. Lam said China will stop individual travelers to Hong Kong while closing some border checkpoints and restricting flights and train services from the mainland. Hide Caption 253 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers at an airport in Novosibirsk, Russia, check the temperatures of passengers who arrived from Beijing on January 28. Hide Caption 254 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a news conference about the American public-health response. Hide Caption 255 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Two residents walk in an empty park in Wuhan on January 27. The city remained on lockdown for a fourth day. Hide Caption 256 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A person wears a protective mask, goggles and coat as he stands in a nearly empty street in Beijing on January 26. Hide Caption 257 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff members bring a patient to the Wuhan Red Cross hospital on January 25. Hide Caption 258 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wear protective masks as they walk under Lunar New Year decorations in Beijing on January 25. Hide Caption 259 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Construction workers in Wuhan begin to work on a special hospital to deal with the outbreak on January 24. Hide Caption 260 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, speaks to reporters on January 24 about a patient in Chicago who had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The patient was the second in the United States to be diagnosed with the illness. Hide Caption 261 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A couple kisses goodbye as they travel for the Lunar New Year holiday in Beijing on January 24. Hide Caption 262 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Workers manufacture protective face masks at a factory in China's Hubei Province on January 23. Hide Caption 263 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Shoppers wear masks in a Wuhan market on January 23. Hide Caption 264 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers are checked by a thermography device at an airport in Osaka, Japan, on January 23. Hide Caption 265 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People wear masks while shopping for vegetables in Wuhan on January 23. Hide Caption 266 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A militia member checks the body temperature of a driver in Wuhan on January 23. Hide Caption 267 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers wear masks as they arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, on January 23. Hide Caption 268 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A customer holds boxes of particulate respirators at a pharmacy in Hong Kong on January 23. Hide Caption 269 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Passengers wear masks at the high-speed train station in Hong Kong on January 23. Hide Caption 270 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak A woman rides an electric bicycle in Wuhan on January 22. Hide Caption 271 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People in Guangzhou, China, wear protective masks on January 22. Hide Caption 272 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak People go through a checkpoint in Guangzhou on January 22. Hide Caption 273 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Medical staff of Wuhan's Union Hospital attend a gathering on January 22. Hide Caption 274 of 275 Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak Health officials hold a news conference in Beijing on January 22. Hide Caption 275 of 275 'Nothing here is inevitable' The title of Shoshana Zuboff's book "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" referred to the power and wealth accrued by tech companies who amassed huge amounts of data over the past two decades. She thinks Covid-19 could mark a moment not of the continued, inevitable dominance of these giants, but instead of people reasserting their rights in the way they should have done when these new online hyperpowers emerged. "9/11 compromised our democracies in relationship to tech companies and their growing capabilities," she said. "We ended 2019 with people around the world in the process of waking up and appreciating the fact that surveillance capitalists have amassed these immense empires of unaccountable power. They have been given a free pass to do whatever they wanted: to steal our experience secretly, and combine that data to predict our behavior, then sell those predictions and become trillion-dollar companies." This is a moment for better-informed societies to create the legal framework they've lacked to master the power of technology for their benefits, she said. Public health has always had an element of surveillance and tracking in it to monitor the spread of a disease, even before big-tech came along, she added. Technology companies can help fight Covid-19 "For people who are charged with tracking disease, surveillance systems are very important," she said, adding that we should permit some of our movements to be tracked for the good of common public health, a sacrifice of our privacy similar to how we choose to vaccinate children. But, she argued, new hi-tech surveillance has blighted that old, desperately needed health monitoring as being from the same intrusive fold. "What's happened now is that we're so fearful of the other kind of surveillance that these things are conflated," she said. "We're hitting this wall of mistrust, because we have failed over the last 20 years to create the institutions, legislation and regulatory paradigms that allow us to trust in this new invasive world." Zuboff said the current vacuum in leadership in some Western countries meant tech giants could try to insert themselves into the problem as the only and obvious solution. "The dominant surveillance capitalists want us to believe and feel that in the vacuum that our leaders -- certainly in the UK -- have left in their wake, they are the ones to come and fill it." But the pandemic could also present an opportunity to re-assert -- or finally assert -- regulation over the new digital age. "Nothing here is inevitable," she said. "We have a responsibility to society as well as to the privacy of individuals. And we can do both. The answer to that question is entirely up to us." Yet, like 9/11, the moment is one of panic, coping, and rush for a return to normality, and less of a nuanced discussion about how the crisis can become an opportunity to fix the wrongs of the past. Without that discussion, our new normals may become a world in which a little bit more of our inner selves is out there in the ether, at risk of misuse.