Americans are howling together at night amid isolation for coronavirus

At 8 p.m. last night, howling was heard across the nation from houses of Americans in isolation due to the coronavirus.

The howling is loosely organized through Facebook and NextDoor groups. Motives for the howlers range from honoring health care workers to feeling less alone at night.

One Facebook group that grew to 64,200 members in four days was launched in Denver by two friends practicing social distancing measures like staying inside and not gathering with groups of more than 10 people.

“Every night at 8pm in your time zone, take a minute to step outside and let out a cathartic howl!” the Facebook group reads.

“Now a lot of people have put their own meaning on it,” Brice Maiurro, one of the creators, told Denver paper Westword.

“We see people who say, ‘I’m going to howl for all the hospital workers, the people on the front lines.’ I think it was a fun thing. It made sense with being in isolation; it makes people feel connected to each other when they howl and hear someone howl back.”

The idea has spread internationally, according to Maiurro, with members in the group from Switzerland, Mexico and Brazil.

The howl has also reportedly been heard in Atlanta, Idaho, New York City and Mill Valley, Calif., according to The Sacramento Bee.

Howling in Larkspur ..and Mill Valley and maybe beyond. This is becoming a thing ..every evening at 8pm. In Italy they serenaded each other …here we howl. pic.twitter.com/yPZumlVcmd

— Mark Matthews (@MarkMatthewsNBC) March 30, 2020

8pm Howl pic.twitter.com/8ctE907HQL

— Mike Kruzeniski (@mkruz) March 24, 2020

8pm howl for healthcare workers. Let it echo #marincounty pic.twitter.com/g7Ub2b9rC8

— Erik Stromberg (@UrbanStream) March 31, 2020

8pm nightly howl o’clock in #sausalito is giving me life right now #SoundOn #covidrelief #communitylove #bayarea pic.twitter.com/mLhG3Xg3yB

— Jess Smith (@jessoutside) March 31, 2020