The coronavirus pandemic can feel frightening and overwhelming. But amid nonstop headlines about rising rates of infections and deaths; quarantines; and economic hardship, it's easy to find heartening scenes of solidarity, friendship and gratitude on scales both large and small. Here are just some of them.
Here, The top of the Blue Shield of California building in Oakland, California, lights up on April 10 as part of the "Light it Blue" campaign. Hundreds of structures across the US were illuminated with blue lights in solidarity with those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
This gallery was first published on March 28 and will be updated with new scenes of solidarity.
Updated:Caption:Leslie KatzPhoto:Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images
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Gratitude blooms in London
Outside London's University College Hospital on April 23, NHS nurses help unveil a rainbow floral display to thank the public for their support during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Updated:Caption:Leslie KatzPhoto:Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images
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Special masks for the hearing-impaired
A volunteer wears a transparent face mask handmade for people with hearing-impaired relatives who communicate by reading lips. A group of women in Spain created the "Fils amb Cor" (sewing with the heart) initiative to make these and other protective face masks.
Updated:Caption:Leslie KatzPhoto:Ramon Costa/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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Free movie showings in Spain
An Amazon Prime Video truck with a giant screen projects the movie Modern Love in Madrid on April 14 as part of the Cine de Balcon (Balcony Cinema) project.
Nepalese traffic police in Kathmandu sing the national anthem on April 13 in solidarity with medical and security personnel, cleaners and everyone else who's compromising their own health to save lives amid the pandemic. The country's prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, suggested the anthem as a sign of public support.
Updated:Caption:Leslie KatzPhoto:Narayan Maharjan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Polish nuns sew face masks
Nuns from the religious order Sisters of the Canon of the Holy Spirit sew protective face masks inside their convent in Krakow, Poland, on April 7. Every day, the nuns open their convent window, called "Gwidon's Window" after the founder of the order, to deliver supplies to the poor.
Updated:Caption:Leslie KatzPhoto:Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Mickey and Minnie bring cheer in Spain
In Vendrell, Spain, volunteers dressed as Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse wave to residents on April 10 as they tour the streets cheering up homebound children.
Updated:Caption:Leslie KatzPhoto:Ramon Costa/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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Iran shows international support
The Azadi (Freedom) Tower in Tehran, Iran, lights up on March 31 with flags and messages of hope in solidarity with all countries affected by the pandemic.
Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis used carts on March 31 to deliver some of the 1,500 flowering spring plants donated by Bachman's Floral, Home & Garden in appreciation of health care workers' efforts.
Together with his mother Monika Kabus, young Tom paints a rainbow on the window of the family's apartment in Saarbrücken, Germany, on March 25. In the Rodenhof neighborhood of the city, families have hung rainbows painted by their kids as symbols of positivity amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A laser projection on the Great pyramid of Kheops at the Giza plateau outside of Cairo reads "Stay at home, stay safe. Thanks to those keeping us safe" on March 30.
In Lahore, Pakistan, on March 27, people hoist white flags from their rooftops to express admiration for the city's doctors and paramedics working on the front lines of the pandemic.
A man drops off goods at a collection point for toys and basic necessities on the steps of a primary school in Rome on April 2. A sign in various languages says "Chi ha metta, chi non ha prenda." (Give as you can, take as you need)
The London Eye, Europe's tallest ferris wheel, lights up blue on March 26 as a show of appreciation and support for NHS staff. That evening at 8 p.m. local time, as part of the "Clap For Our Carers" campaign, people across the UK took part in a nationwide round of applause from their windows, doors, balconies and gardens to thank health care workers.
A picture taken from the Swiss alpine resort of Zermatt shows the iconic Matterhorn mountain illuminated with a message from Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter "as a sign of hope and solidarity" during the coronavirus pandemic. Hofstetter transforms buildings, monuments and landscapes all over the world into temporary works of art. Zermatt is broadcasting this message live by webcam through April 19, the deadline for action against the coronavirus in Switzerland.
Candles in the shape of the Italian flag light up the night outside a block of flats in Beslan, Russia, on March 28. Alongside them, a message of solidarity for Italy as it struggles against COVID-19: "Italia, siamo con te!" (Italy, we stand by you!)
A mural dedicated to Italian medical workers depicts a nurse cradling the hard-hit country and reads "To All Of You... Thank You!" It hangs on a hospital wall in Bergamo, near Milan.
Mulhouse Symphonic Orchestra violinist Jessy Koch performs on her balcony each day to support health workers in Mulhouse in eastern France. Here she is on March 28, the 11th day of a strict nationwide confinement.
Citizens in Barcelona held a flash mob from their balconies on March 26 to applaud health care workers treating COVID-19 patients. The medical workers applauded right back in return.
In the Syrian town of Binnish on March 24, artist Aziz al-Asmar paints a mural wishing German Chancellor Angela Merkel well. She is in quarantine after being treated by a doctor who tested positive for coronavirus.
Renato Haeusler, night watchman at Switzerland's Cathedral of Lausanne, manually rings "La Clemence" emergency bell in the belfry tower on March 27. He will ring the bell every night at 10 p.m to encourage people to show solidarity and help one another in challenging times.
