Coronavirus positive: Good news round-up - we'll meet again, possibly quite soon

Palestinian students hug after receiving their certificates as preventive measures against the coronavirus disease - REUTERS
Palestinian students hug after receiving their certificates as preventive measures against the coronavirus disease - REUTERS

There’s more hope this Wednesday that things will soon get back to some sense of normality under new proposals being discussed in government.

There are plans to meet with one other household from mid-June, which should lift the mood of the nation well into summer so long as the sunshine of recent weeks continues to hold out.

While numbers are to be limited to begin with, the plans will offer the chance to finally decide on your favourite household to enjoy a garden party or socially distanced picnic with.

Elsewhere, the world continues to gradually open back up, with Portuguese tourism and cake hotspot Madeira set to welcome international travellers from July 1.

The Colosseum, which is Italy’s most visited tourist destination, will welcome visitors from Monday for those looking to enjoy Roman ruins from a social distance.

Plus rugby fans should be able to get their fix of the sport next summer, with plans under way for a special tournament in the UK and Ireland across June and July next year. The tournament will make up for lost time with 31 games set for across six weeks.

Here’s the rest of today’s good news:

  • A Surrey pensioner has become the oldest coronavirus survivor in the United Kingdom. Freda Hodgson, aged 106,contracted the infection in April and has been nursed back to health at the Whiteley Village care home. Freda, who also survived the Spanish flu as a child, has no fewer than 52 great-grandchildren.

  • No patients in New Zealand are in hospital with coronavirus for the first time since the country went into lockdown on March 25. Only 25 cases are still active, according to director of health Ashley Bloomfield, as the country continues to make plans to move to the next alert level and relax restrictions further.

  • The bakery Greggs has announced that it is to open 800 more of its stores across the UK from mid-June following a number of successful trial reopenings. The meat and vegan versions of its famed sausage rolls will both be available on the new menu alongside a range of hot drinks.

  • Carly Raeburn, who was supposed to be among those taking part in the Edinburgh half-marathon this month, has put her training to good use by running the same distance in her garden. Cheered on by her sons and husband, she has now raised more than £1,000 for NHS charities.

  • A startup in Germany has developed what it says is the world’s first floating ocean hybrid platform, which combines wave, wind and solar power. Sinn Power says the platform will be able to supply renewable energy to different islands and wants to provide people “all over the world” with access to clean electricity.

  • A farmer is using his herd of llamas to deliver food shopping to those struggling during lockdown. Matt Yorke, from Pembrokeshire in Wales, is putting the energetic animals to good use by packing shopping on the llamas’ backs and dropping off deliveries at the front doors of those who are in need.

TODAY’S MOODBOARD

Three pleasant things to put into your head.

1.

The Dean of Canterbury has gone viral thanks to his cat:

2.

The pub turning into a garden centre during lockdown:

Pub lockdown - Charlotte Graham
Pub lockdown - Charlotte Graham

3.

  • Do you have some good news to share? What's made you happier in the past 24 hours? Have you seen a pleasing picture? Please send it all our way, either by commenting below or emailing coronapositive@telegraph.co.uk

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