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Blue Angels, Thunderbirds fly over DC to salute health care workers

It's part of the America Strong initiative to thank front line workers during the coronavirus outbreak.

WASHINGTON — The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, the demonstration squadrons for the Navy and the Air Force, will take to the skies over Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Atlanta on Saturday, May 2.

It's part of an initiative called America Strong. The two groups are performing demonstrations over several cities as a way to say "Thank you" to America's healthcare workers and other essential workers on the front lines of the coronavirus fight.

Want to see the epic routines in the sky? The Baltimore route will kick off at Fort McHenry at 11:30 a.m. and end at BWI Airport. For the District, the show will start at 11:45 from Prince George's County Hospital and end going across the National Mall.

Here are the parade routes in full for both D.C. and for Baltimore:

Credit: AmericaStrong
Credit: AmericaStrong

"We're excited to fly over cities across America as our way of saying thanks to the healthcare workers, first responders, and all the people who selflessly run into the breach working to keep America strong," Gen. Dave Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Adm. Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations said in a press release. "This is also our way of showing that we are all in this together and that America’s spirit will prevail."

RELATED: Blue Angels, Thunderbirds fly over NYC in tribute to those fighting coronavirus

The Air Force and Navy have partnered with local governments to help ensure spectators follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing guidelines.

Both teams are also implementing various measures to maintain personnel and community safety. This includes air-to-air refueling during transit, and no scheduled stops en broute to reduce potential exposure to the virus.  

President Donald Trump announced the fly-over plans last week, while also promising a Fourth of July celebration.

"What we are doing is paying tribute to our front-line health care workers confronting COVID and it's really a signal to all Americans to remain vigilant during the outbreak," Trump said.

Saturday's demonstrations mark the second wave of America Strong flyovers. On Tuesday, both teams flew in formation over Philadelphia and New York.

RELATED: Here's what it looked like in the cockpit of the Blue Angels NYC flyover

RELATED: President Trump says Blue Angels, Thunderbirds to perform over cities during virus outbreak

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