In footage that’s been circulating online, a man from Australia, who decided to ‘spread some joy’ while protecting himself to contract the coronavirus, can be seen rolling around the streets in a giant bubble, like a human hamster.
The recorded video was taken in the small Victorian town of Belgrave, not too far away from the city of Melbourne.
Shoppers can be seen looking on in amusement as the unnamed, barefooted man rolled by, bringing a bit of much-needed amusement during this very difficult time.
The man’s loud, proud cries of ‘I’m the man in the bubble!’ can be heard in the footage, which was taken by a local, Janine Rigby.
“Thank you to this man for making us smile. This was a Random Act of Kindness!” Janine posted on Facebook.
Janine’s video went viral after one of her friends shared it to her own social media page, with people far and wide having since warmed to the man in the bubble, who is believed to be a long term resident of the Dandenong Ranges.
In a UNILAD interview, Janine said: “I didn’t know the gentleman, but I do now, and when our Lockdown eases we will be having a cuppa together… This was his Random Act of Kindness to others. He just wanted to put a smile on everyone’s face!”
Janine also added that there were many people standing about watching the ‘bubble man’ that day, and she believes all those on the town’s main street were left ‘pleasantly surprised’ by this quirky twist to their shopping trip.
“The ‘Bubble Man’ was happy, singing that he was the Bubble man. Since Saturday, little children have seen him (without his bubble) and they are so happy to have met him,” she said.
Victoria has recorded the highest number of coronavirus infections identified within a 24-hour period in Australia so far, The Guardian reported.
A total of 532 new cases have been announced by Premier Daniel Andrews, as well as six more deaths of people over the age of 50.
With strict lockdown measures, this is a concerning time for those living in the Australian state, where masks are currently being encouraged but have not been made mandatory in regional areas.
“It certainly cheered me up and as you can see from the stats, he has reached the hearts of many all over the world,” Janine said.
With all of us now grappling to get used to new mandatory safety measures in public, Bubble Man’s antics have certainly provided some much needed comedic relief.