Author: Talia Lakritz
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has reached over 150 countries, infected hundreds of thousands of people, and resulted in thousands of deaths.
Fear around public health emergencies like the coronavirus can bring out the worst in people, but it can also provide inspiring examples of people choosing to be kind.
Even in the midst of the crisis, people are making sure those in quarantine don’t feel alone, and turning canceled events into opportunities to give back.
Here are some recent instances of everyday people making the best of unfortunate situations.
When a couple downsized their wedding and got married at home, their entire neighborhood surprised them by celebrating from their cars.
Anastasija and Josh Davis of British Columbia, Canada, were supposed to get married on April 3 in front of 135 guests. As the coronavirus pandemic escalated and gatherings of over 50 people were prohibited, they had to rethink their wedding plans.
The couple got married in Josh’s parents’ living room in front of immediate family and the groom’s best man. When they rode in a limousine to another location to take photos, the best man told them to roll down the window. Their friends lined the streets with signs, balloons, streamers, and music blasting from their cars.
“They were honking, cheering, yelling congratulations,” Anastasija told Insider. “Josh and I were shocked. We were crying, we couldn’t believe this was happening. Seeing them on the street, celebrating our day with us, made it so magical.”
People in Spain, Italy, and Israel held rounds of applause for healthcare workers from their balconies and rooftops.
Quarantined people in Italy, Spain, France, and Israel coordinated times to applaud healthcare workers from their homes. The sounds of clapping, cheering, and whistling filled the air in expressions of gratitude for doctors, nurses, and others who are tirelessly treating the sick.
“It was amazing,” an American woman living in Israel told Insider.
WestJet threw four students a mini-graduation on their flight home after their college closed due to the coronavirus.
Briercrest College and Seminary in Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada, canceled its graduation ceremony due to the coronavirus. Four seniors on the college’s volleyball team were on their way back from the CCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championships when Briercrest chaplain Joelle Epp and WestJet flight attendants surprised them with an impromptu “graduation.” The ceremony included “Pomp and Circumstance,” diplomas, a processional, and Kit Kats.
“I was just happy because everybody was panicking over the coronavirus, and this is just finally something nice that somebody did,” Nancy Garner, mother of graduating senior Rebecca, told Insider’s Gabbi Shaw.
A group of neighbors on lockdown in Spain sang “Happy Birthday” to an 80-year-old woman from their windows.
Good News Movement shared a video on Instagram of apartment residents in Madrid, Spain, surprising their neighbor Charo for her 80th birthday while on lockdown in Spain.
Charo’s neighbors placed a cake with a birthday candle outside her door on her balcony and called for her to open the door. When she saw the cake, she began to cry. Her neighbors then launched into a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
The video has been viewed over half a million times.
A team of engineers and 3D-printing experts figured out how to print respirator valves in Italy, where equipment shortages are costing lives.
Massimo Temporelli of digital manufacturing lab FabLab, engineering CEO Cristian Fracassi of Isinnova, and 3D print expert at Lonati SpA Michele Faini collaborated to 3D print respirator valves for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, Kristin Toussaint of Fast Company reported. The supplier didn’t want to reveal details about the valve’s design, so the team reverse-engineered it themselves. They printed 100 valves and brought the printer to the hospital to produce more life-saving devices and alleviate shortages that are costing lives.
Jennifer Le gave out face masks at a light rail station in Singapore when supplies ran low.
When Jennifer Le saw elderly people waiting hours in line outside pharmacies in Singapore to buy face masks, she decided to help. She ordered face masks from Vietnam and had them delivered to a friend there, who brought them to Singapore for her to distribute.
“I know a lot of people only care about themselves,” she told Our Grandfather Story in a video on their YouTube channel. “Of course you must take care of yourself first. After you have enough, then you can help other people.”
