An Atlanta neighborhood is putting on a big show of appreciation for healthcare workers and everyone fighting COVID-19.
Midtown neighbors have joined together on their balconies to cheer on the first responders. The cheers from above easily echo through the eerily empty streets every night at 8 p.m.
“Every single night it has just gotten louder and louder. It’s been great,” neighbor Zach Grady said. “It’s a great sense of positivity at a time when everything’s scary."
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Channel 2 Action News has been hearing about this on social media all week and Channel 2′s Matt Johnson watched and listened in person Thursday night.
There are reasons to be nervous about what’s happening, but every night for a few minutes it’s nothing but smiles and cheers for the people who need them the most.
“Everybody on the front lines, health care, truck drivers, people at the grocery store, bankers. Just everybody who’s just helping make the world turn,” Denise Kalentzis told Johnson.
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The nightly ritual began with a handful of people on their balconies. It has only blossomed into a community-wide event.
“It’s all quiet. Then everybody just opens up their balconies, and starts the clapping,” Kalentzis said.
Whether it’s clapping, cheering, or banging a cowbell, the small gestures are a simple thank you for giant sacrifices at hospitals and workplaces across the country.
“We know how hard this is. The time you’re spending away from your family, you’re putting your lives at risk to save us,” Grady said.
Through social media, Johnson has already heard from thankful healthcare workers and firefighters who say that they are hearing the cheers loud and clear.
On Saturday night, firefighters with City of Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson paraded the streets as people cheered them on.
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