Earth's ozone layer is ‘healing’ itself and thank god for that (2024)

27 March 2020, 17:33

With the news looking bleaker than ever amid coronavirus, it's about time we looked at the heart-warming, positive and down-right funny stories that happened in the world this week. Because we all need a break, hey?

If you've been watching the news this week, there's no shortage of coronavirus news stories, bringing the doom and gloom of the situation right into your front room.

Unfortunately, that means that among stupid remarks from certain world leaders and the battle to save the most vulnerable people in society, we don't get to hear about the actual positive things that are still happening.

If you're following NHS advice and only picking up what you need from the supermarket (we're looking at you, stockpilers), the next few months of watching Netflix should be a breeze.

READ MORE: 21 working from home memes that will get you through the coronavirus outbreak

So, while we wait for the mayhem to die down, we've rounded up the top 10 happiest stories from the week - because who doesn't need a wholesome break during these trying times?

1. Over half a million people have signed up to volunteer for the NHS

That's right, it turns out perhaps Britain is so Great after all, because after the government put a plea out at the beginning of the week for 250,000 volunteers to come forward and help with delivery groceries to the vulnerable, being a lifeline for those who are lonely, and helping with hospital deliveries, the public answered.

504,000 of us to be exact.

Boris Johnson showed his appreciation by saying "a special thank you" and the 1.5 million people forced into isolation due to underlying health problems putting them at risk of coronavirus will now be able to get the extra hand they need - and if you still want to help out yourself, you can sign up to do so here.

2. Britney Spears claimed to run a sub-6 second 100m - shattering Usain Bolt’s 9.58s world record. And I believe her.

Britney Spears has had one hell of a social distancing session this week - from becoming the socialist icon the world needed, to beating an actual world record set by Usain Bolt at the 100m sprint. Wow. Allegedly, at least.

The pop queen took to Instagram to share her "achievement" writing: 'Ran my first 5!!! Getting over the fear of pushing it in the beginning is key...once I did that I hit 5!!! Usually I run 6 or 7...my first try was 9...and now I did it whoop!! 100 meter dash'.

After fans pointed out that the world's fastest sprinter Usain Bolt's record was 9.58 seconds, almost four seconds more than Britney's attempt, she quickly backtracked and said she was joking. It was funny while it lasted - stick to Instagram fashion shows, Brit.

3. Taylor Swift donates $3000 to fans across the world to help with their money issues

Taylor, you have done it again. Constantly raising the bar for us all. And this time, she's secretly helping out fans who have lost work or money due to coronavirus. We say secretly, but they're sharing DMs from the singer on Twitter, where she's offered to pay $3000 to help them out after seeing their posts about struggling.

And that is why we must stan.

4. Tom Holland bought some chickens

If you've dared to venture out of the house over the last week to pop to the supermarket, you'll know that the shelves are looking pretty bare, and while most of us can shrug it off and settle for cornflakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner - Tom Holland cannot.

The Spider-Man star took to his Instagram Story to detail his unfortunate scenario when there were no eggs available left in the shops, and instead decided to take a more logical route to a delicious breakfast by adopting three chickens.

Tom now has three chickens, Predator, Chestnut and Ranger, so frankly we can't wait to see the next live documentary of what they get up during their new life in his garden. And the scrambled eggs eventually.

5. An entire street sang happy birthday to a kid because her birthday party was cancelled

Sucks to be you, Pisces. If you're a March baby, your celebratory birthday plans have probably been cancelled (boo), but one little girl, Sophia, ended up getting an epic surprise after her party was called off.

Guided outside by her Mum, the 8-year-old was greeted by her entire street stood outside their houses (because #socialdistancing) giving a huge rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to cheer her up.

The adorable video has gone viral of Sophia bursting into tears when she realises what an adorable gesture her neighbours have done for her, so make sure you grab a tissue before watching.

6. Clap for the NHS

The heroes keeping us all safe right now are the NHS, with doctors and nurses working around the clock to help the sick. Last night (26th March), the UK decided to show their appreciation by standing outside their front doors at 8pm to give a round of applause to our health workers.

What started out as a social media post ended up going viral and millions took to the streets to cheer, beep their horns and clap - and the videos from the moment are incredible.

7. Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out

It's a good week to be a Nintendo Switch owner, and an even better week to be an Animal Crossing fan, because their latest game New Horizons has come out and brought some much-needed nostalgia for gamers everywhere.

Minding our own business, catching bugs, organising our homes and paying off our fictional mortgages? What more could we want while trapped inside?

People have already come out in their masses to say the game is helping their mental health throughout the current situation. Given we're not going out to spend money anytime soon...SOLD.

8. China is beginning to go back to normal life

That's right, after 65 long days in lockdown, Wuhan is finally starting to reopen public transport, restaurants and giving residents permission to leave their province.

Local resident, Megan Monroe, took to TikTok to keep people updated on the situation out there as it unfolded.

Megan said that the Metro trains are up and running from the 27th March, supermarkets open as normal from 1st April, and other amenities reopened by 8th April.

Megan is also one of the lucky people that has been issued a clean bill of health certificate, which allows people to go outside.

Since being the supposed origin of the virus, China has finally managed to 'flatten the curve' and as of 13th March, only eight new cases were reported in a day.

Here's to things looking up!

9. Girls are giving their boyfriends haircuts while barbers are closed and the results are hilarious

Arguably one of the biggest #firstworldproblems during lockdown has been hair. Do we cut it? Do we leave it to grow like cave men? And while most are holding off until our trusty salons get the go-ahead to reopen, some women have been taking matters into their own hands. On their boyfriends.

Tweets have been going viral all week of girlfriends around the country trying to replicate their man's former signature fade, and the results have been, erm, surprising.

If there ever was a "don't try this at home" advert - it's right here.

10. The ozone layer is finally healing itself

Without the ozone layer, it would be almost impossible for any living thing to survive on earth, and despite being polluted as hell and hole in the ozone layer being a contributing factor in climate change, it may just be recovering from all of the damage humans have done to it.

Substances causing harm to it include solvents, aerosol spray (including hairspray!), and foam-blowing agents such as fire extinguishers - and since use of all of these chemicals has declined since the year 2000, scientists have said the ozone layer is firmly on its way back to health.

We can only imagine the wonders no cars on the road right now is doing for those greenhouse gases.

It's not all bad, hey? In the words of Kylie Jenner, happy self-isolation!