Across the island at 8pm on 30 March, the sound of people clapping burst from windows, balconies and doorways.
The applause was part of Clap For #SGUnited, a campaign to get the public to show their appreciation for those on the front line of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The campaign started through a Facebook event created by British expat Martin Verga, 30, who has lived here for 10 years. He had been inspired by #ClapforNHS, which saw millions of Britons applauding National Health Service staff.
“I thought it would be a great idea to bring it to Singapore because the community in Singapore has always been amazing to me, in terms of the spirit of coming together,” he says.
Mr Verga, who works in finance, lives in the Novena area with his wife, Laura, 31. He says the turn-out in his area last Monday was “incredible”.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, he felt that it was important for the community to stick together and unite in different ways.
After Monday’s success, many people got in contact with him, expressing their amazement at how the event had taken off, says Mr Verga.
He has created a new Facebook event for tomorrow (6 April) at 8pm, and has stated on the page that the initiative will continue every Monday.
Read more here.
Source: The Straits Times, 5 April 2020