The Western Wall as you’ve never seen it before
A place many have been but a sight few have seen – this is the Kotel this week, eerily free of visitors, with queues and social distancing marked and enforced by barriers.
An aerial shot of Jerusalem’s most famous plaza shows the emptiness of what would usually be, in summer particularly, a hive of activity, with throngs of tourists, guides, and worshippers from Israel and afar all jostling with each other.
As Israel grapples with a deadly second wave of coronavirus, this historic site now sees far fewer visitors, all masked and partitioned. A maximum of 2,000 people are allowed entry at any one time.
They are put in capsules of 30, to pray at any one time. Heavy crowds are expected over Rosh Hashanah, but authorities say visitors will be turned away if the plaza is full.
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