Coronavirus spurs 'rainbow hunters' as they descend on neighborhoods across the country
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PHILADELPHIA – It is hard being a kid right now. Just ask 8-year-old Cooper O'Malley.
"I would rather be at school," said O'Malley, who has spent the gloomy last few weeks couped up inside his house because of the coronavirus outbreak. "It's tough."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, as the saying goes, after the storm comes a rainbow. In Cooper's neighborhood in Philadelphia, there were hundreds of them.
Eight-year-old Cooper O'Malley and his little sister Callen marvel at a rainbow hunting in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. (Katie Byrne / Fox News)
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The neighborhood is just one of the hundreds across the country hosting "rainbow hunts." It's as simple as drawing a rainbow and sticking it in the front of your house for the world to see – and then going on a stroll to hunt out the brightness in these dark times.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That is just huge!" O'Malley said, marveling at a rainbow drawn with chalk on a brick facade. He said the rainbows have created something to look forward to after he is done with school work.
"It's like a scavenger hunt," he said. "It's more fun than just going for a boring walk."
The idea started in Italy, which has been ravaged by the pandemic. People began posting colorful drawings, paintings and banners of rainbows with the message "Tutto andra' bene," or “Everything will turn out OK,” the Associated Press reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Across the U.S., communities in at least 20 states are now taking part. Several Facebook groups have popped up - including one that just surpassed 100,000 members. They also created interactive maps to help their fellow rainbow hunters find them.
Rainbow hunts have popped up in at least 20 states – and around the world.
For the Acosta family in Houston, Texas - some 1500 miles away from Philadelphia - the rainbow hunts have been a new way to spend quality time.
"It's just really fun getting outside with my family," Mia Acosta, 11, said. "Just going looking for rainbows and get all happy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THE RAINBOW TEMPLATE
The difficult part is when Mia or her little sister sees a friend or a neighbor.
"I constantly remind them, social distancing. " Mia's mom Michelle said. "Say hi from afar!"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A child looking out a rainbow-filled window in Stockport, England. (Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Taking a walk around the neighborhood is still allowed under most stay-at-home orders, provided you're at minimum six-feet from your fellow rainbow hunters.
Under new CDC guidelines, it is recommended to wear a face mask while out, even for a walk around the neighborhood.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We need joy, we need hope," said Kristen O'Malley, Cooper's mom. "We know this is a really dark time. We know that people are sick. This brings light and joy and happiness."