On Sunday, Bulgaria confirmed four coronavirus cases out of 70 people tested—the first such confirmed cases in the country. An artistic reply to the ensuing panic was what the citizens of the capital, Sofia, woke up to on Monday morning.

Bulgarian photographer Ivan Shishiev, who is also a creator of the page “Sketches of Sofia,” shows people in his country that the panic caused by the coronavirus is unnecessary. He does this by placing masks on famous statues in Sofia. By using this form of street art (protest against the negative influence of the media and government) he hopes to ease his fellow citizens’ panic through provocation.

More info: Facebook | Instagram | sketchesofsofia.com

Image credits: etiuditenasofia

His message to the public is clear: “No panic! Panic stems from the Greek word πανικός—irresistible fear. However, the semantics of the word derive from the prefix ‘παν’ and are related to the ancient Greek god Pan, who had the power to scare the cattle. Panic is what turns a nation into a common flock. And the consequences are practically catastrophic.”

Image credits: etiuditenasofia

Catastrophic enough to kick a man off the bus because he sneezed, or to refuse help to an elderly lady who can’t climb the stairs, or to prevent anyone from sitting on the subway because the fear of coronavirus is considered normal (I witnessed these events today.) A couple of hours. That’s just how much time we need to become a flock.”

Image credits: etiuditenasofia

The post he created on his page has already reached 150K people in only 6 hours. This can only give us hope that acts like this could make a change by going viral.

Image credits: etiuditenasofia

Image credits: etiuditenasofia

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