Every Thursday evening at 8pm, the nation has been coming together to #ClapForOurCarers.
For most Londoners, this means sticking your hands out of the window, or banging a few pots and pans together from your balcony. But, to some, this involved breaching social distancing regulations and taking the ‘coming together’ thing a bit too literally. Quite the opposite of supporting the NHS, you might say.
At 8pm on Thursday April 16, dozens of people, including key workers, gathered on Westminster Bridge for a mass applause. On the face of it, it’s a wholesome act of kindness, but with the current situation in mind… well, do we even need to explain?
https://twitter.com/d_rafi1/status/1250864574984867856?s=21
Damir Rafi, a doctor at a nearby hospital, shared a video of the incident to Twitter, which has since gone viral. The footage shows crowds of people clapping and cheering, quite blatantly ignoring the two-metre rule enforced by the government. Emergency vehicles are seen with their sirens on all along the bridge, and police officers and medical staff are also joining in.
Another video shared by Scott Webster shows an aerial view of the bridge, proving just how many people were ignoring the regulations that have been put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep people safe.
Wow… #westminsterbridge pic.twitter.com/UDro2FoGUE
— Scott (@webster_scott) April 16, 2020
The incident caused absolute chaos on social media—as you might imagine—with many people expressing their confusion and disdain.
https://twitter.com/_chelsea_kr/status/1250908080675737609
This is just really infuriating!!!!
I’m a Nurse & this scene made me sick!!! It’s more appreciated if social distancing was practise here than the clapping itself!
Do we really CARE???
Expect for more weeks of torture, more casualties because of this!!!#TotalLockdown— Maribie (@maribiemarco28) April 16, 2020
https://twitter.com/cutey_brownin/status/1250905223465439233
Just yesterday, it was announced that the UK’s lockdown would be extended by at least another three weeks. To recap what that means: trips outside of the home are restricted to infrequent visits to the supermarket or pharmacy, for any medical need or to provide care for a vulnerable person, travelling to and from work where absolutely necessary, and for one form of exercise a day (for example a run, walk, or cycle) either alone or with people from your household.