COVID-19 Masks

Every time things in the world start to look bleak (which seems to be a lot of the time, lately) I remember that Mr. Roger's quote to "look for the helpers." Although COVID-19 has impacted a lot of our lives, and there's plenty in the news right now to make me feel stressed and let down by those in power, there are also a lot of people working to make sure we all get through this pandemic as best we can, from health care workers on the front lines to musicians and entertainment professionals making shows available for free online to get us through quarantine.
Since the new CDC guidelines were posted advising us to wear masks when in public, people all over the world have been sewing masks. In my neighborhood, there's a family creating masks for free for anyone who wants one (they've refused any payment). A student at Eastern Kentucky University has even created a new type of mask for those who are deaf and hard of hearing. It has a clear plastic panel in the front so that they can still read lips, making it easier for them to communicate and understand people while still protecting everyone from the transmission of disease. Depending on the effectiveness, this could be useful in the future for deaf and hard of hearing patients at hospitals even when the majority of people in public stop using masks.
When I see articles about how people are ignoring quarantine or hoarding toilet paper (which might not actually be the whole story- while most are quick to blame it on irrational consumers, this article links it more to changes in the supply chain), these are the kinds of stories I try to remember. I do believe that most of us are just trying to help in some way to get all of us through this.
(As a side note, Hank Green, who you may know from Vlogbrothers or Crash Course, has created a new podcast called "COVID Sucks, People Don't" focusing on the ways people are working to help deal with this pandemic- you can find it on most podcast apps.)