Japanese authorities have chopped down more than 100,000 tulips to stop admirers gathering and spreading coronavirus.
Typically, thousands of the bright flowers blanket fields in the city of Sakura, east of Tokyo, drawing tourists eager to glimpse them in full bloom.
But as the country embraces social distancing measures to wrestle the epidemic, officials decided to mow the beds so they would no longer be an attraction.
They also pulled the plug on the annual tulip festival at the gardens of Sakura Furusato Hiroba.
Sakiho Kusano, a city tourism official, said: 'Many visitors came on the weekend when the flowers were in full bloom.
'It became a mass gathering so we had no choice but to make the decision to cut the flowers.'
The rows of pink and red which once typically carpet the 7,000-square metre gardens have vanished, and in their place are dark green stalks.
A few roses which were missed poke up among the stalks, but most have been donated to local kindergartens.
Parts of the fields even appear to have become mud-baths, with all nature razed to the ground.
Despite the efforts of officials to curb person-to-person contact, a smattering of tourists are still visiting the Sakura flowerbeds.
Visitor Misako Yonekubo, 77, went to the now gloomy gardens on Wednesday and said: 'It's very, very, very unfortunate. My mood sank when I saw this.'
Japan has so far managed to stem the tied of infections with only 11,512 confirmed cases and 281 deaths.
It became a focal point early on in the pandemic when the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokahama.
The country is now tackling another outbreak after 33 more crew members tested positive aboard the Costa Atlantica in Nagasaki, after one sailor fell ill on Tuesday.
Meanwhile eight babies and toddlers at a Tokyo care centre have tested positive for the coronavirus after a staff member contracted the disease.
Tokyo Saiseikai Central Hospital, which operates the facility, said the affected children had been hospitalised, while another 21 tested negative and were under observation.
The facility is for orphans or children separated from their parents because of possible abuse or neglect.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
