Making a splash amidst coronavirus crisis
Wish Upon a Star
Among the countless masses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, one demographic that’s feeling particularly cooped up is kids. So when Brandon Smith celebrated his 12th birthday over the weekend, his mom took to Twitter, posting a picture of her son holding a world map, and writing, “This is my son, Brandon. Today is his 12th Birthday. I can’t give him the party he deserves but Brandon loves geography. He would love it if you would RT or reply where you are so he can mark it on his map.” The post garnered a whole lotta love and replies from all over the world, and even a galaxy far, far away, after Mark Hamill aka Luke Skywalker, sent his wishes as well. While Hamill admittedly noted he was sending his love from Malibu and not the Death Star, the Jedi continues his long-established practice of wishing fans as well as random people on Twitter, for their birthdays.
Rabbit to the Rescue
We’ve already talked about how New Zealand’s PM had assured young Kiwis that the Easter Bunny counted as an essential service even as the island nation continues its fight against the pandemic.
Well, a flight attendant took the PM’s words to heart, and when she, along with her crew, took off on a repatriation flight over Easter weekend from Germany to New Zealand and brought along a special passenger. A Facebook post by Auckland Airport reads, “Val, one of the crew on a Lufthansa repatriation flight heard about Jacinda Ardern classifying the Easter Bunny as an essential worker. She decided to do her part and bring the Easter Bunny over to NZ on LH9918 as their only passenger on the A380 flight. The bunny has been named Jacinda and is working to take travellers safely back home from the other side of the world.”
Fun and Games
The statement ‘Go Corona’ has become inspiration for all manner of slogans, songs, and sundries. Among these is the video sharing app VMate, which has drummed up a lot of support for its own COVID-19 anthem. The app, especially popular among India’s rural population, has also taken on the role of myth-buster by educating users about the novel coronavirus and disproving all the misinformation clouding its treatment. The app has also introduced three corona virus-related games, and one of these borrows from the cult game, Super Mario, with the iconic flowers and mushrooms replaced by sanitisers and masks.