Sage Kiernan-Sherrow |  News Editor

In times of crisis, people are often bombarded with news of negativity. As COVID-19 spreads throughout the nation, darker aspects of our country become more apparent. However, while         

focusing on the issues caused or heightened by the virus are important, it’s also crucial that individuals recognize the positive reactions that people have made for the global good during this time-period. 

As Mr. Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” once said, “look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Celebrities and CEOs alike have been using their wealth to both fund the fight against COVID-19 and help people in need. According to an article by Billboard, Elton John, who has been on the forefront of the movement combating AIDS, is now dedicating an emergency fund to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

John is quoted as saying, “Distributing medicines, testing and preventative treatment is not as simple as it was a few weeks ago, so our new COVID-19 emergency fund will help frontline partners to prepare for, and respond to, the pandemic and its effects on HIV prevention and care for the most marginalized communities.” 

Hundreds of other celebrities have taken a similar standpoint, even going so far to hold free concerts and events during quarantine for entertainment and fundraising purposes.

The environment has also been positively impacted by the reduction in human waste. According to onetreeplanted.org, air quality has significantly improved in lockdown areas; carbon emissions have reduced by 25% in China as of March 17 — a fact that can be observed through NASA’s satellite imaging. In many parts of the world, animals who frequented areas in the past are returning after long hiatuses due to human impact. 

At home, people are reconnecting with loved ones and helping their communities. In Australia, community members have created online forums to answer their neighbor’s questions and concerns and offer assistance during social distancing. 

“Respondents shared advice for grocery shopping on the cheap, as well as broader ideas for ways to pitch in — like checking in on elderly neighbours, or creating WhatsApp groups to keep in touch with people on their street,” according to The Guardian.

Peter T. Coleman, a psychology professor at Columbia University, suggests in an article published by Politico that COVID-19 may lead to political depolarization. 

Coleman stated, “COVID-19 is presenting us with a formidable enemy that will not distinguish between reds and blues, and might provide us with fusion-like energy and a singularity of purpose to help us reset and regroup.” 

It is an ideal that is challenged by many, but nonetheless echoes the World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus’s testimony at a news conference where he said, “please quarantine politicizing COVID. The unity of (America) will be very important to defeat this dangerous virus.”

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Illustration by Rachel Hetzel