Many are diligently following health directives to avoid social situations and top local photographer Bernard Polidano took to the streets earlier this morning to highlight how social isolation has impacted one of Malta's most frequented areas.

Linking Sliema to a ghost town, Bernard makes a stark admission: "Most of the photos were taken right from the middle of the road. There were no cars. It would have been unimaginable to do so a month ago," he says. A quick stroll around the Sliema Ferry promenade continues to highlight this: "The car park in front of Zara is practically empty," the photographer comments.

Bar a handful of shops, all establishments had their shutters down: "Everyone is closed and activity almost non existant. Even Plaza was deserted," Bernard said. Known for its constant stream of shoppers roaming its floors, the popular shopping mall has also fallen quiet.

Bernard narrates his experience in a public Facebook post: "It is somehow unreal, like a time machine taking me back 30 years in time," he wrote, adding that he felt like he was a kid again walking around the streets of Sliema at 9.30am.

"You can barely see a car driving by let alone someone walking," he concluded in his Facebook post, adding that as opposed to usual, parking spaces are now readily available across most streets.

Have you ever seen Sliema looking like this?