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Guelph General Hospital workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic were greeted on Wednesday morning by a salute and a thank you from dozens of Guelph police officers.

At least 15 marked and unmarked police vehicles were parked outside the hospital’s doors on Delhi Street at 9:30 a.m. as hospital staff wearing masks and scrubs watched on.

The thank you from officers came in the form of a round of applause and a blast of the sirens from their fully illuminated police cruisers.

Quite the moment outside of Guelph General this morning. 15 police cruisers and dozens of officers saluting the healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/ikKOvBalZh — Matt Carty (@MattCartyCJOY) April 1, 2020

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“We wanted to make a gesture to salute Guelph’s healthcare workers,” said Const. Kyle Grant. “Today and every day we are very appreciative of the work that they do to serve the community.”

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Hospital staff clapped and cheered on, while some took videos of the heartfelt moment. Some vehicles passing by even honked their horns to show support.

Grant said healthcare workers are the ones putting themselves at risk.

“They are truly on the frontlines of this pandemic and we can’t thank them enough for their work,” he said.

A makeshift rock garden has been built by residents on the lawn and it continues to grow as a thank you to hospital staff.

The touching moment comes just days after Guelph General Hospital declared a COVID-19 outbreak in one of their wards after several staff members tested positive for the virus.

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The hospital is also trying to hire at least 100 part-time and full-time staff members.

1:19 Edmonton police, fire crews salute front-line health-care workers amid COVID-19 pandemic Edmonton police, fire crews salute front-line health-care workers amid COVID-19 pandemic

They have restricted visitors and are asking for food donations, such as pizza and coffee, to stop as they don’t want staff gathering to eat in groups.

READ MORE: Guelph General Hospital looking to fill 100 positions amid pandemic

The hospital’s foundation has launched a COVID-19 critical response fund and is asking for donations.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 25 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Guelph.

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