97-year-old WWII vet serenades wife under self isolation with harmonica tune through glass door



ERIE, Pa. - Residents of a nursing home in Pennsylvania separated by social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic found a way to connect with each other when the woman’s husband, a 97-year-old WWII veteran, serenaded her with a tune from his harmonica on the other side of a glass door.

The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs posted a video on Facebook of Lou playing a song to his wife Jackie to pass the time during the mandated quarantines. The two have been married for 38 years and are both residents of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Erie, Pennsylvania.



“Separated by social distancing, the couple was able to bond over Lou's harmonica playing, expressing his love for her as they continue to spend their time separated, yet so close,” the organization wrote.

The coronavirus outbreak has had devastating effects both financially and socially as millions have been forced to isolate in their homes adapting to the new reality, finding new and unique ways of connecting with loved ones with much of the world under lockdown.

As Passover begins on April 8, and with Easter approaching on April 12, many have been forced to come up with new ways to celebrate the holidays, since the pandemic has prevented them from physically seeing their families.

Many have gone virtual in an attempt maintain normalcy under abnormal circumstances, including one Australian woman celebrating Passover with her grandparents through video chat.



A college in Japan was even forced to hold a virtual graduation ceremony with robot avatars in order to maintain social distancing guidelines implemented by the country.



The Chinese city at the heart of the global pandemic, Wuhan, reopened Wednesday after 76 days in lockdown. Elsewhere, the economic, political and psychological toll of fighting the new coronavirus grew increasingly clear and more difficult to bear.

New York endured one of its darkest days so far, with the virus death toll surging past the number killed on 9/11. It recorded 731 new coronavirus deaths, its biggest one-day jump yet, for a statewide toll of nearly 5,500.

The U.S. is seeing hot spots in such places as Washington, D.C., Louisiana, Chicago, Detroit, Colorado and Pennsylvania. The New York metropolitan area, which includes northern New Jersey, Long Island and lower Connecticut, accounts for about half of all virus deaths in the U.S, which is now upwards of 13,000 as of Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.