The spread of the Coronavirus has led the government to announce the closure of all restaurants, pubs, bars, clubs, cinemas – and the mecca of entertainment, Paceville, has turned into a ghost-town.

Photos uploaded on Facebook by St Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg on Facebook show empty streets as establishments remained shuttered. Some may say that finally Paceville is living up to its name, the village of peace, but others would be sad to see it like this.

What used to be streets filled with young and not so young people having fun – and at times annoying people who live in the area – are devoid of any activity. The emptiness stretches to St George's Bay on one side and the St Julian's promenade on the other.

The government today announced further measures to stop the spread of the virus, which has so far affected 90 people in Malta. More non-essential shops and services will be stopped as from Monday.

The closure is indefinite, as it is impossible to predict the end of this scourge which has hit most countries in the world.

Once day, hopefully in the not too distant future, normality will return, and the Paceville streets will be full of people once again.