NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Coronavirus: Portugal gives nationwide standing ovation to healthcare professionals

Vera Alves
By Vera Alves
NZ Herald Planning Editor and Herald on Sunday columnist·NZ Herald·
15 Mar, 2020 01:26 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Focus Live: Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has confirmed New Zealand's seventh and eighth positive Covid-19 coronavirus cases.

What started as an idea on social media has turned into a daily nationwide tribute to the healthcare professionals working tirelessly to help a nation fighting coronavirus.

In Portugal, at 10pm, people are taking to their balconies and windows and joining in on a nationwide standing ovation as a thank you to all the healthcare professionals who are working around the clock to help stop the spread of the virus.

In the dark of the night, with strict closing times in place for most commercial establishments, including bars and nightclubs, the applause echoed through the unusually quiet streets of the country.

The sound of Lisbon tonight at 10pm, saluting health professionals. pic.twitter.com/hMQKn3INcz

— Pedro Magalhães (@PCMagalhaes) March 14, 2020

Emotional videos are circulating on social media, filmed in several cities and towns across the country, showing people giving healthcare professionals a round of applause, from their windows and balconies.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A social media post did the rounds asking people to applaude the professionals, from their homes, at 10pm.

Portugal: standing ovation across the country by the people quarantined at home to say #ObrigadoSNS, thank you to the National Health Service and its brave and selfless staff. Very moving. And very much deserved. #SNS pic.twitter.com/tkUDszuHDU

— rui tavares (@ruitavares) March 14, 2020

Portugal has a strong national health service that is struggling right now to face #COVIDー19 . Today, at 10pm, portuguese people thanked the tireless work of the medical staff. United we can win this pandemic 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/GHpEKbQgme

— Filipe Caetano (@filicaetano) March 14, 2020

There are calls on social media for the round of applause to be repeated, nationwide, every night at 10pm, while the country fights the virus.

The westernmost country in Europe is a popular tourist destination and, while its situation is not quite as dire as Italy, it has now moved into a strict containement plan as it fights the spread of the virus.

Pelas ruas de Portugal, o apoio aos profissionais de saúde que lutam contra o #COVID19PT.
Estou de urgência no Hospital de Braga e sinto-me emocionado com a força do povo português.
OBRIGADO A TODOS! pic.twitter.com/cW5nIIdVZW

— Pedro Morgado (@pedromorgado) March 14, 2020

The country currently has 169 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The plan includes self-isolation, shutting down of schools, limited access to malls and other public spaces, among other measures. Visits to hospital patients and retirement homes are also being gradually reduced.

Salva de palmas 👏 👏👏 para os profissionais do #SNS #coronavirus #porto #paranhos #covid19 #portugal 😷🙌😷🙌😷🙌 pic.twitter.com/y2sx2p8oX4

— Victor Ferreira (@vferreira) March 14, 2020

Viva o Serviço Nacional de Saúde! Público, universal e gratuito!#Lisboa pic.twitter.com/I9h9LyTmrZ

— Bloco Lisboa (@LisboaBloco) March 14, 2020

READ MORE:
• Coronavirus: Auckland man becomes sixth case of virus confirmed in New Zealand
• Coronavirus: New Zealand's sixth patient reveals he's feeling 100 per cent
• Coronavirus: Everyone travelling to NZ from overseas to self-isolate
• 'Anything can happen': How to cope with coronavirus anxiety

VirusFacts2
VirusFacts2
Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

Lifestyle

King includes Prince Harry in funeral plans, hoping for family unity

28 Jun 04:15 AM
World

The greatest Lions in rugby history ranked

28 Jun 02:00 AM
World

'Catastrophic crisis': Fertiliser looting threatens Kenya's food security

28 Jun 01:26 AM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

King includes Prince Harry in funeral plans, hoping for family unity

King includes Prince Harry in funeral plans, hoping for family unity

28 Jun 04:15 AM

Plans include Harry, Meghan, and their children in the King’s funeral arrangements.

The greatest Lions in rugby history ranked

The greatest Lions in rugby history ranked

28 Jun 02:00 AM
'Catastrophic crisis': Fertiliser looting threatens Kenya's food security

'Catastrophic crisis': Fertiliser looting threatens Kenya's food security

28 Jun 01:26 AM
Burglars ransack Brad Pitt's $5.5m LA home during promo tour

Burglars ransack Brad Pitt's $5.5m LA home during promo tour

27 Jun 11:28 PM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP