Britons joined in a weekly nationwide round of applause on Thursday to pay tribute to care workers and hospital staff as the country gingerly starts to return to work.

People across the United Kingdom have been cheering, banging pots and pans and playing musical instruments every Thursday evening since the applause become an emotional weekly ritual when it first took place on March 26.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a very limited easing of Britain’s coronavirus lockdown on Sunday, adopting a cautious approach to try to ensure there is no second peak of infections that could further hurt the economy and cost lives.

Reuters