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Positive happenings during this time of the unknown:

C O M M U N I T Y   S P I R I T   I S   R I S I N G

I haven't seen this many people offering to help others in a long time. I've seen media posts and flyers everywhere offering to do grocery shopping and helpful choirs for people in need that can't do it themselves (FOR FREE). Neighbors are parking their lawn chairs on their front yards and porches and balconies in order for other lonely and bored neighbors to see them and offer a sense of connectivity. Have you seen the videos of musicians playing music on their balconies in Spain?! Or the people singing together in chorus from their 2nd story windows to people walking by on the street in Dallas,

"You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on."

w a t c h h e r e

People all over the world are wanting to help others, no matter their race, gender, ethnicity or beliefs; and that is heart-warmingly amazing. 

E L D E R L Y   A R E   G E T T I N G   S P E C I A L   L O V E

https://www.uchealth.org/today/older-adults-coronavirus-can-be-more-serious/

Panic buying has been especially harder on our senior citizens, some of whom are less able to travel to stores regularly. Supermarkets have responded by offering special spots reserved for elderly to not miss out on essentials. Not only is this smart, but it provides the support to our elderly that they might not be getting anywhere else. 

P O L L U T I O N  D E C R E A S E  A L L  O V E R  T H E  W O R L D

Courtesy of NASA.

NASA’s Earth Observatory pollution satellites took photos of China before and after the outbreak created massive shutdowns, showing “significant decreases” in air pollution. This is unbelievable... The photo on the left was taken in January and on the right you can see the huge decrease in air pollution just after one month. Obviously the shutdowns of many factories and businesses is hindering our economy and hurting many workers reliant on their wages, but if it continues at it's current rate over the rest of the year, it could save up to 100,000 premature deaths and improve the air quality which will impact the whole world. 

Here is another photo proving the pollution decrease in Beijing before and after the outbreak started:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/01/15/169422960/beijings-pollution-seen-from-space-in-before-and-after-photos

M I L L I O N S   I N   D O N A T I O N S   A R E   B E I N G   M A D E 

https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/28940073/fifa-tournament-la-liga-players-raises-money-combat-coronavirus

This is pretty cool. To help combat this crisis and help in some way, 128 professional clubs from the English Football League, the Premier League & across the globe are competing in an online FIFA tournament with thousands of fans watching online. Each club is nominating one of its players to go up against another player from a different team eventually winding down to a final between two players of the top 2 teams. These fans that are watching are donating money which is being raised for research into COVID-19. So far, the online tournament has raised around $150,000 for Covid-19 relief efforts.

C H E L S E A ' S   M I L L E N N I U M   H O T E L   O P E N S  

T O   M E D I C A L   W O R K E R S

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/s/chelseas-millennium-hotel-opens-its-doors-nhs-staff

Many NHS (National Health Service) staff have been transferred to different places around London, so to make this transition easer, the Premier League club, Chelsea, has offered NHS workers free stay and accommodation at the Millennium Hotel at it’s Stamford Bridge ground for the next 2 months. They said, “Many of the medical staff will be working long shifts and may not be able to travel home or would otherwise have to make long commutes. Local accommodation helps maintain the health and well being of these crucial personnel at this critical time.” The cost is being covered by club owner Roman Abramovich.

This is just ONE example of the generosity happening all around the world. People are opening up their businesses and personal office or housing buildings for more patients and health workers to combat this virus.

F A M O U S   V E N I C E   C A N A L S   A R E   C L E A N E R   T H A N   E V E R

PHOTOS Courtesy of Twitter

Without the gas and rising sediment that comes with boat traffic everyday on the canals in Venice, the water has become crystal clear. Venetians haven't seen this happen in decades. Along with the clear waters, dolphins fish & even swans have returned to the channels making it an even more definite sight to see. The water is so clear, hundreds of fish can be seen swimming along and the reflection of the clouds outline the top of the water. 

MORAL OF THIS POST:

Yes, this is tragic and frustrating and devastating, but try NOT to focus on that as best as you can. There are great things happening all around the world. And above all, people are coming together no matter the age, race or economic background, to help others and be there for our neighbors. It is amazing to see humanity come together to help each other because in the end, we are all in this together. 

OTHER NEWS:

– A network of Canadian scientists are making excellent progress in Covid-19 research, as well as many other scientists and researchers around the world. 

- A 103-year-old Chinese grandmother has made a full recovery from COVID-19 after being treated for 6 days in Wuhan, China.

- On March 19, China reported no new locally transmitted cases had been reported for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

SOURCES: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/21/air-pollution-falls-as-coronavirus-slows-travel-but-it-forms-a-new-threat.html

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/covid-good-news-list-accurate/