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Communities come together, cheer for first responders during COVID-19 crisis

Movement spreading across the country
Posted at 2:10 PM, Apr 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-09 16:10:57-04

DENVER, Colo. – With the world stuck inside for weeks, some people are now stepping out and cheering on in a fight against an invisible killer – COVID-19.

“We’re all getting together and we’re all going to whoop it up a little bit and cheer them on,” said a Denver man from the balcony of his high-rise apartment.

The “them” the man is referring to are first responders, heroes he says are worth celebrating.

At Brooks Tower, downtown Denver’s oldest high rise, Kim Dozier is leading her neighbors as they cheer from their balconies for medical workers on the frontlines.

“Pass the love,” Dozier said. “There’s nothing else that matters right now.”

Acts like this are happening across the country

Whether praying from a hospital parking lot in Nashville, Tennessee or dancing in their driveways in Buffalo, New York – people caught in this pandemic are escaping from self-quarantine for a few minutes each night by gathering from a safe distance and howling as the coronavirus takes control of our lives.

Our news team obtained cell phone video from New York City’s Lower East Side, a hot spot for deaths linked to the virus.

The video shows proud New Yorkers hooting and hollering from their rooftops and balconies.

The excitement might make some forget the make-shift morgues now lining the city streets.

COVID-19 is has already killed thousands of people across the world – with health experts predicting many more deaths to pile up before this global pandemic ends.

But whether in New York or the oldest high rise in Denver, Colorado, Americans are making social distancing seem not that far away while making the world feel a little closer during this crisis.