WORLD WATCH

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BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Many theatrical venues around the world have closed or banned live audiences due to the novel coronavirus. Yet the world is beginning to adapt to this new phenomenon.

Everyone from Coldplay’s Chris Martin, John Legend and other stars are performing free virtual concerts because of COVID-19, while U2 frontman Bono debuted a new song streaming live from Facebook. Until the pandemic ends and people return to live theatre experience, these concerts are regarded as test cases for the future, with more shows and new release films tipped to migrate online.

“A lot of artists have decided they want to make staying home a little bit easier for everybody,” says Legend.

Even in the world of sports, where many events have been cancelled and stadiums are mostly empty of fans, games of various codes are still being played, streamed online or screened live on television.

The Danubia Orchestra Óbuda embraced this pioneering new spirit when they performed at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. When the Hungarian government banned events hosting more than 100 people in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, the orchestra played without an physical audience: however, the show, which featured a selection of Haydn, Kurtág and Dvořák, was watched by thousands via a free video stream.

The online response was reportedly both grateful and enthusiastic.

Not even the coronavirus, it seems, can stop the music.

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Meghan Markle looked positively radiant as she stepped out in London for the Mountbatten Festival of Music. mindfood.com/markle-music

VENICE, ITALY

In normal times, Venice’s famous canals are teeming with activity. Millions visit each year to explore the city and take a romantic trip on its world-famous gondolas. Now, like so many cities around the world thanks to COVID-19, Venice has gone quiet, its streets and canals empty.

Yet there is an unexpected flipside of this lack of human activity: one that benefits the whole planet.

Thanks to a lack of pollution usually caused by boat traffic, Venice’s normally cloudy canals have turned crystal clear. They are now clean enough that you can see the fish below. Swans have also been seen in the water, while dolphins have been reported swimming in the port.

In fact, the drop of activity all over the planet – from the fall in cars on the road to the decline in pollution from industrial activity – will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and do everything from clean our water and air to slow carbon emissions.

The change is already taking place. Satellite imagery over China’s major cities shows a huge reduction in emissions. The usual visible cloud hanging over its cities has given way to blue skies. Satellite photos also show a decline in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Italy.

Meanwhile, over in New York, as citizens avoid the streets and drivers shun the road, researchers from Columbia University have found that the level of carbon monoxide has fallen by nearly 50 per cent year on year.

Perhaps this is a good chance for the planet to heal and recover.

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Just last year, Prince William launched the National Emergencies Trust; now the Trust has launched an appeal to assist those impacted by COVID-19. mindfood.com/william-fund-corona