Celebrate New Year’s Eve by making some noise

You can expect to hear plenty of people banging pots and pans as one final, noisy salute to health-care workers in 2020.

Saskatoon’s four hospital foundations, Saskatoon Fire and Medavie Health Services are among the many groups encouraging people to step outside and make some noise for frontline workers Thursday evening.

Arla Gustafson, the CEO of the Royal University Hospital Foundation, feels it’s the easiest way to show support for people working tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has been a really long, hard nine months for everyone,” Gustafson said.

“People have done their part, and as we were coming close to the end of the year we were just seeing that fatigue. We need to stand up, thank all of our frontline and essential workers — and let’s get into 2021 by drumroll.”

Whether it be a kitchen pot, a drum or even a cowbell, Gustafson is hoping people across the province take one more opportunity to salute health-care workers at 7 p.m., just as they did in the spring.

“Can we ever have enough cowbell?” Gustafson said. “Let’s let everybody know how much we appreciate frontline workers and essential workers.”

Members of the Saskatoon Fire Department, Saskatoon Police Services, RCMP and other first responders will join by parading to each of Saskatoon’s four hospitals at 7:30 p.m.

While everyone across the province is welcome to join in the noisy show of gratitude, Gustafson said there has been a pledge of support from people in Melfort, Humboldt and Prince Albert.

With government restrictions preventing any semblance of the large parties that have become synonymous with New Year’s Eve, Gustafson figures plenty of people will be available to take part.

“What else are we going to do? We’re going to stay home and we’re going to stay safe,” she said.

“Let’s drum out 2020.”