By Ismaeel Naar

and Tuqa Khalid

RIYADH/DUBAI — Citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sang their national anthems from inside their homes to show solidarity with the health workers during the partial overnight curfew as part of measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, videos on social media showed.

The chant and support shown on Saturday night mirror other campaigns in the region. The show of support by applauding and singing from balconies first started in Europe, with videos showing people in France, the United Kingdom and Italy clapping offering a round of applause to the doctors and nurses working on the frontlines of the crisis.

The response in Saudi Arabia came after a campaign launched on Twitter by citizens and residents under the “Stay at home and sing to your country” hashtag.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Sunday: “The video of people chanting the national anthem of the UAE by the residents of this good land when the national sterilization program started was touching.”

“The UAE proves every day that it is the loving home and compassionate chest of its citizens and its residents. We share a common concern for our success in this challenge and for the safety of this country,” Gargash added. — Al Arabiya English