Turkey bursts into applause to show gratitude to health workers fighting COVID-19

ANKARA

AA Photo

People across Turkey gave a huge round of applause, accompanied by cheers and congratulations, from their balconies and windows to show their gratitude to healthcare workers on the frontline battling COVID-19.

Over the course of March 19, messages had been circulating on social media encouraging people to gather at 09.00 p.m. (1800GMT) to show their gratitude for doctors and nurses on the front line of fighting the outbreak.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also asked lawmakers to applaud health workers for their hard work and sacrifices in an address to parliament on March 19.

As the #BeraberBaşaracağız hashtag (“#wewillsucceedtogether” in English) went viral on social media, video footage from across Turkey showed people applauding doctors, nurses, and health workers.

Several politicians and celebrities showed their support for the collective action on their social media accounts.

Later Koca thanked citizens on Twitter for showing their respect and support to the medical personnel.

“You gave strength to our devoted healthcare professionals with your applause,” he said.

The minister, who is also a medical doctor, called on the public to continue to show their gratitude with their applause three nights in a row.

The "applauding" trend initially started in Europe, as people, who were barred from stepping outside their homes, started to gather on balconies and windows to applaud health workers fighting against the coronavirus and to perform music.

Turkey currently has four fatalities due to the novel coronavirus outbreak and 359 confirmed cases.