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By Bai Xu and Chu Chen

CANBERRA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Streets in Canberra become quieter as the COVID-19 spreads but if one looks carefully enough, he may find himself coming across some lovely new friends in the neighborhoods -- teddy bears.

The bear hunt campaign has come to the Australian capital lately to create some social-distancing surprise for people, especially children, when their lives are disrupted by the pandemic.

Stuffed toys, with different colors and shapes, are placed in the windows, on the trees or in the gardens.

"The bear hunt experience has provided great excitement to my two little girls, five and two years' old," said 32-year-old Rachael McCoy. "It encourages them to get active and go walking around our streets."

She learned about the campaign from Facebook.

According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the hunt was inspired by a book named "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" written by British author Michael Rosen.

"Yesterday we went out and we saw about 10 houses (with the teddies)," said McCoy.

"They were gorgeous displays, and people come to the front door and they waved to our kids and they were so excited."

She said the experience was especially good for the children, who are unable to go to school and day care. "They're at home and they're bored," she said. "So this has been a really good incentive to get them out and active and also keep them happy."

So she decided to do the same with her daughters as well. They put up two big pink bears outside the door.

She also made 60 printouts, which she would like to distribute in the neighborhood of Harrison in north Canberra, so as to encourage more houses to participate.

Dozens of meters away Trish Murfett's daughter placed nine toys in her window, including ponies, cats, bears and something Australian, like bilby.

Murfett has chronic lung disease and, according to the advise of the Australian government, she should avoid going out. Her daughter in Year 5 also stayed at home, as well as her husband.

She also found out about the event from Facebook in the mid of last week, where she said there was a map on My Gungahlin page to show where the different teddy bears were.

"We thought it was a great idea," she said. "We went around the neighborhood and explored the local houses that were nearby and we decided to take part."

She planned to put different toys for different occasions. The next occasion will fall on April 25, the Anzac Day, an important national occasion marking the anniversary of the first major military action by Australia and New Zealand during World War I. Mass commemoration events were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but Murfett said she would pop up some defense teddy bears.

She hoped that the toys could bring joy to kids. "It just allows them to have a bit of light-hearted relief to enjoy some teddies and hopefully exploring around the neighborhood they see other teddies, and it creates a bit of an adventure for kids who are dealing with really uncertain circumstances at the moment."

Some Chinese families also took part in the campaign.

Wang Jiao, 45, first learned about the bear hunt event from New Zealand.

"The bears began coming out in the last a couple of weeks, and they really bring hopes for children confined to their homes," said the father of two.

"It is a very interesting idea, so that the bears, which would otherwise be sleeping at home, could greet passers-by," he said. "Children would love this interaction."

Wang noted that the children had cabin fever at home. "They became irritable, putting their parents working at home under tremendous pressure."

Four bears stood on a rock outside his house, bathing in the sun, while his daughter and son, 11 and nine, were smiling after they completed the mission. The father said that now he could feel relieved as well.

Wang said they are now taking extra precaution, washing hands more often to keep themselves healthy.

"I hope that everyone could keep a normal state of mind," he said. "The crisis will become past anyway. You may feel distressed, but you have to face up the difficulties."

Murfett said they are using gloves and sanitizers while filling up the car and shopping with trolleys and baskets.

"We hope that everyone can really heed the advice of medical providers... so we can minimize the risks," she said. "This is a new normal for a period of time and hopefully we will come through it with all our loved ones and friends and everyone else."

For her part, McCoy said she would like to thank all the healthcare workers and everyone looking after the communities. "My wish is just for everyone to remain safe and we can go back to our normal lives as soon as possible."