LONDON — Since March, Britons have stood on balconies, doorsteps and sidewalks once a week to applaud care workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

But Thursday’s 10th weekly “Clap for Our Carers” could be the last. The woman who founded the ritual says that “to have the most impact I think it is good to stop it at its peak.”

Annemarie Plas, a 36-year-old Londoner, was inspired by an idea from her native Netherlands. The event quickly took off, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and members of the royal family taking part, and news channels broadcasting the applause live from around the country.

But there was criticism as some people broke social distancing to take part. And some say the gesture deflects attention from serious government failings in providing testing and protective equipment to medics and care workers.

Plas also was concerned the gesture was becoming “politicized.” She hopes it will become an annual event on the last Thursday in March each year.