In an unprecedented move, the Indian armed forced – Army, Navy, and Air Force – thanked doctors, paramedics, sanitation staff, police, and other frontline workers who are engaged in the fight against coronavirus.
While the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted flypast across India and its jets and choppers showered petals on hospitals and places of national importance, Army bands played patriotic tunes outside hospitals across the country to express honour and gratitude towards the coronavirus warriors who are battling the pandemic.
The armed forces showered petals at the SNM hospital in Leh, Goa medical college, Jaipur in Rajasthan, Panchkula hospitals in Haryana, Sukhna lake in Chandigarh, Rajpath and police memorial in Delhi, Srinagar’s Dal Lake, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, and the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneswar.
This is apparently the third major display of gratitude towards coronavirus warriors with the first being countrymen clapping, beating utensils, ringing bells, and blowing conches on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request. The second one was by switching off their lights and lighting candles and ”diya”.
Health workers and other corona warriors were seen standing outside COVID-19 hospitals with their hands on chest to show respect towards the armed forces for this gesture.
The gesture of expressing thanks started with the laying of flowers by the three Service Chiefs at the police memorial in Delhi. The Indian armed forces have expressed gratitude towards coronavirus warriors at a time when the number of COVID-19 cases has touched the figure of 40,000. So far over 1,300 people have died because of the infectious disease.