Let's applaud every Tuesday at 7pm to pay tribute to COVID19 frontline responders in Timor-Leste, says Prime Minister and UN Resident Coordinator

Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak and UN Resident Coordinator Roy Trivedy announced a weekly "Applaud for Timorese Heroes" campaign to demonstrate public's appreciation for frontline workers in COVID-19 response by taking part in a mass round of applause.

To demonstrate the appreciation for everything the frontline key workers are doing throughout the outbreak, a weekly national clapping event has been organized in their honour.

The Govt-UN joint campaign will start on Tuesday, 28 April 2020, at 7pm local time. Please join in by clapping from within your homes, front doors, gardens, balconies, windows, and living rooms to show all COVID19 frontline men and women responders in Timor-Leste including health workers, emergency services, armed services, police, delivery drivers, teachers, waste collectors, cleaners, engineers, volunteers, and all those who are out there making an unbelievable difference.

People across Timor-Leste are being encouraged to applaud every week on Tuesday at 7pm for five minutes from their homes to participate in Applaud for Timorese Heroes campaign, capture these moments on cameras, and post messages, photos, videos on their social media channels by tagging #Applaud4TimoreseHeroes.

"The Applaud for Timorese Heroes initiative is a chance to thank all government, civil society, private sector workers and international partners, staff, and volunteers who are working around the clock to prevent those at risk and treat people affected by coronavirus. We are humbled by the hard work and dedication of all those on the front line. They're doing an amazing job caring for us and our loved ones in incredibly difficult times. Let's put our hands together to publicly show our gratitude each Tuesday", said Prime Minster Taur Matan Ruak and UN Resident Coordinator Roy Trivedy in joint statement.

"The social media challenge will uplift the moral of medical workforce, police, armed forces, cleaners and all frontline staffs from across the nation who have been working long and hard in order to protect and care for as many people as they can, an act that the entire nation is grateful for", the joint statement further noted.

Timor-Leste has so far registered 23 cases of COVID-19, including one already recovered.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already claimed more than 180,000 deaths and infected almost 2.6 million people in 193 countries and territories. -ENDS-