Clap Barbados – National applause for frontline workers set for Wednesday

An initiative is afoot to celebrate the contribution of local front line workers in the fight against the coronavirus, COVID-19.

On Wednesday at 8 p.m., there will be a nationwide clap for doctors, nurses, porters, emergency call workers at quarantine and isolation centres, staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and others.

One of the organisers of the event Sally Clarke is urging all Barbadians to participate from their homes.

“People are being asked to stand at their windows, front doors, balconies or just in their yards for a round of applause, or make some sort of noise or sound,” she said

Clarke praised the ongoing efforts of the workers, noting, “While the majority of us are now safely at home, and others working from home and social-distancing to lower the chances of ourselves and our loved ones catching the coronavirus, for those working on the frontline this isn’t possible.

“Doctors, nurses, porters, emergency call workers at quarantine and isolation centres, and other QEH staff are still going to work every day to keep the health system working, putting themselves on the front line.”

Similar initiatives have been taking place across the world, including London, France, Turkey, Israel, Belgium, and Spain.

Barbados currently has 71 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Four people have died and 11 have recovered from the virus.