Videos, photos of hope and inspiration lifting spirits amid coronavirus outbreak

There seems to be no escape from the sadness, fear, anxiety and sense of helplessness surrounding coronavirus.

While news coverage of the outbreak is critical to helping the world battle the virus, more and more people are seeking a break from the sadness, even if only for a moment or two. And with self-isolation and lockdowns quickly becoming the norm, going stir-crazy is not unusual.

So here’s a look at some of the ways the world is coping with the pandemic — by lifting spirits, offering hope and delivering a brief respite from the sadness.

A family in the UK put a new, lighthearted spin on “One Day More” from the Broadway musical “Les Miserables”:

The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra perform Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” and, as they say on their YouTube video, “From us, to you”:

With schools closed, the Chino Valley High School Chamber Singers recorded “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” each from their individual homes:

The staff of Elk Grove High School created this music video for its students and community:

The Italian Air Force, with an assist from the late Luciano Pavarotti, took to the skies with a message of hope for their nation while “painting” the colors of the Italian flag. The aria’s final words sending a powerful message of hope to the virus-stricken country: “I will win.”

Gal Gadot enlisted the help of some of her close pals including Will Ferrell, Natalie Portman and Leslie Odom Jr. to cover John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Kevin Bacon used “six degrees of separation” to champion social distancing:

After closing to the public for the next few weeks, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium let its penguins explore the surroundings:

Long live Beethoven!

Matthew McConaughey took to Twitter to send his words of encourgement: “This virus, this time might be the one time that brings us all together and unifies us like we have not been in a long time,” he said. “So, yes — let’s see if we can make some lemonade out of this lemon that we’re in the middle of. Turn a red light into a green light. Just keep livin’.”

Tony Award winner Laura Benanti took to Twitter to support high school music students and kicked off the #SunshineSongs movement:

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U2 frontman Bono released a new song in tribute to all the people on the front lines fighting the outbreak:

Italians in Naples, reached out with a big “hug” to the world and each other:

CBS enlisted the stars of some its hit series to spread the message that “you are not alone”: