Stop Clapping for Carers before it turns negative, says its founder
CLAP for Carers should stop next week before its message becomes “negative”, the architect of the gesture has suggested.
Annemarie Plas, a Dutch national living in south London, said the weekly applause for front-line workers had “had its moment” and should end next Thursday after its 10th week.
The 36-year-old said that the public “had shown our appreciation” but now it was up to ministers to “reward” key workers.
Ms Plas said: “I think it is good to have the last of the series next Thursday,
because to have the most impact I think it is good to stop at its peak. Without getting too political, I share some of the opinions that some people have about it becoming politicised. I think the narrative is starting to change and I do not want the clap to be negative.”
The campaign, which began at the start of the lockdown, gained traction after Instagram post by Ms Plas urging people to “clap for carers” went viral on social media. It originally began as a one-off support to NHS staff on March 26, but was quickly expanded to cover all key workers.
The ritual has since become a regular fixture of national life, with millions of Britons showing their support every Thursday at 8pm from their balconies, doorsteps and gardens.
The first event saw a vast turnout, with many famous faces also getting involved. Boris Johnson, the prime minister, and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, led applause from Downing Street, while Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis took part from their home in Norfolk.
Despite uniting much of the nation in gratitude, it has also led to questions over whether front-line staff would benefit more from extra funding.
Particular criticism has been voiced over the Government’s initial decision, later reversed, to charge overseas health and care staff for using the NHS.
Mr Johnson had faced escalating criticism from Tory MPS and peers who said that the policy was “mean-spirited and immoral”.
The current surcharge is £400 and is now due to be removed for all NHS staff, including health workers, porters and cleaners, as well as independent health and social care workers.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said that key workers had been “overlooked and underpaid” and there would be a “reckoning” once the pandemic was over.
On Thursday, paying tribute, he wrote: “Key workers, NHS staff and careworkers have kept our country going when we have needed them most. It is right we clap for them every Thursday but when we emerge from this crisis we owe them a better society where they are truly valued.”
His comments followed some NHS staff saying they felt “stabbed in the back” after reports of people ignoring lockdown guidelines to hold VE Day street parties or visit the beach.
Ms Plas, a yoga teacher, who was inspired by similar events in the Netherlands, has suggested resurrecting the clap in 2021 to mark a year since the coronavirus outbreak.
The mother-of-one added: “A clap is something normal people can do, showing our appreciation. But the power is not with us. We can give them respect but we are not signing the cheque – that falls on another desk.
“Stopping clapping does not mean we are not still appreciating them. Some people will still want to carry on, so they should. But we will stop and show our support in other ways – there are other initiatives we can support.”