Lebanese applaud virus-battling health workers from balconies

Health workers of government-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital, where most of the Lebanese coronavirus cases are treated, are saluted by Lebanese policemen in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 29, 2020. (AP)

Health workers who are treating coronavirus patients at government-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital, where most of the Lebanese coronavirus cases are treated, watch Lebanese policemen salute their colleagues in support of Lebanese National Health Service workers who are treating coronavirus victims, as part of a nationwide salute to the doctors, nurses and staff in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 29, 2020. (AP)

Lebanese policemen salute government-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital workers, where most of the Lebanese coronavirus cases are treated, in support of Lebanese National Health Service workers who are treating coronavirus victims, as part of a nationwide salute to the doctors, nurses and staff in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 29, 2020. (AP)

Health workers who are treating coronavirus patients at government-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital, where most of the Lebanese coronavirus cases are treated, flash the victory sign while Lebanese policemen salute them in support of Lebanese National Health Service workers who are treating coronavirus victims, as part of a nationwide salute to the doctors, nurses and staff in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 29, 2020. (AP)

• The initiative was spread online with the Arabic hashtag "a cheer for the heroes"

BEIRUT: Cheering erupted from balconies and windows in Lebanon on Sunday evening, as the country's citizens celebrated their "heroic" medical workers battling the coronavirus pandemic.
The initiative spread online with the Arabic hashtag "a cheer for the heroes", shared by public figures including journalists, actors and the Arab pop star Ragheb Alama.
In one Beirut neighbourhood, a woman draped in a Lebanese flag sang the national anthem as her neighbours drummed on pots and pans, an AFP journalist said.

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زقفة_للابطال ربنا يحميكم جميعاً @jihanalama

A post shared by Ragheb Alama (@raghebalama) on Mar 29, 2020 at 10:27am PDT

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Goosebumps !! All the respect to our dedicated medical team Thank you again and again Your dedication given the scarce resources is above and beyond ————————————————#fashioninfluencer #lifestyleblogger #lebanesestreetstyle #beirut #lebanon #trends #fashiontrends #trending #fashionforecasting #fashionreport #fashiontrends #fashionreport #آخر_موضة #weddingtheme #fashiontrends #designer #influencer #riyadh #ksa ##arabinfluencer #fashiontrends20 #trends2020 #fashiontrends2020⠀#corona #coronaviruslebanon

A post shared by Dania Ghannoum (@lebanesestreetstyle.dania) on Mar 29, 2020 at 12:41pm PDT

Elsewhere, Lebanese played drums and blew vuvuzelas, sharing videos of the street performances online.
Similar initiatives have gained attention from Italy to France but they have remained rare in the Arab world.
Lebanon has reported 438 COVID-19 cases to date, with 10 deaths.
To try to contain the spread of the virus, Lebanon has imposed isolation measures on its population until April 12, with a nighttime curfew in effect. Schools, universities, restaurants and bars are closed.
Many fear the country's healthcare system could be overwhelmed by cases.