Prince Charles Seen For First Time Since Novel Coronavirus Diagnosis Applauding NHS On Thursday

Mar 27, 2020 by apost team

In his first appearance since testing positive for novel coronavirus earlier this week, Prince Charles joined millions of Britons in clapping for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. The Clarence House Instagram account posted the brief video of the Prince on his Instagram Story Thursday.

The same day, a spokesperson from Clarence House also released a further update on Prince Charles, 71, announcing that the heir to the throne has returned to his royal duties, conducting meetings by phone and video conference from his Scottish residence despite the diagnosis, according to BirminghamLive. Earlier in the week, Clarence House reported that Prince Charles, who is at a higher risk of complications from the virus due to his old age, was only experiencing “mild symptoms” but was otherwise in good health and spirits. Prince Charles and his wife, who tested negative for the virus, are self-isolating to prevent further infection. In the Clap For Our Carers video, which Clarence House posted on Instagram on Thursday, Prince Charles and his wife were filmed separately.

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The Clap For Our Carers campaign comes after healthcare workers across the world have had to risk their lives to reckon with an overwhelming influx of new coronavirus patients. In an interview with The Guardian, the creator of the Clap For Our Carers campaign, Annemarie Plas, said that she was “so grateful” to see her idea spread across the nation on Thursday. The Dutch citizen, who lives in south London, said she was inspired to start the campaign after seeing footage of similar efforts to thank healthcare workers in France and Spain, according to The Guardian.

As night fell on the UK on Thursday, millions joined in to participate in #ClapForOurCarers from their balconies, backyards, windows and via social media like the Kensington Palace Instagram page. Community members also joined in with whistles and pots and pans to add to the collective thank you. In fact, campaign was so successful that the hashtags #clapforourcarers and #thankyouNHS trended on social media throughout Thursday, according to The Guardian. In honor of Britain's National Health Service, the country’s publicly funded healthcare system, buildings across the UK also turned blue, which people associate with the health system.

The official Royal Family Twitter accounted also posted a thank you, writing on Twitter: “We are enormously thankful for the expertise and commitment of our scientists, medical practitioners and emergency and public services.” The Tweet included a series of photographs showing the Queen, 93, greeting healthcare workers.

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 55, announced in a live address to the country that the UK would be instituting a government-mandated lockdown, which barred citizens from leaving their homes apart from a few exceptions, according to CNN. Johnson added that the government restrictions were put in place to reduce infection rates and avoid overwhelming the NHS with too many new coronavirus cases. The Prime Minister tested positive for the virus Friday, according to CNN.

What do you think of the UK's country-wide Clap for Carers campaign? How have people in your community thanked healthcare workers? Let us know and pass this story on to friends and family members.