Police Sing Happy Birthday to London Girl From a Safe Distance

Volunteer police cadets in the London Borough of Havering on March 26 gathered to sing happy birthday to a girl who had to cancel her seventh birthday party as the UK introduced stricter measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Footage posted by the Havering Volunteer Police Cadets shows four police officers gathered at the end of the driveway of seven-year-old Matilda’s home as they sing to her.

“Today our team went to wish Matilda a very happy 7th birthday,” police wrote on Twitter. The girl had to cancel her party and “no friends have been able to visit due to coronavirus,” they added.

The United Kingdom went into lockdown on March 23, introducing strict measures to limit people’s movements in an effort to contain the virus and slow its spread.

The UK has confirmed at least 11,816 cases of COVID-19 and at least 578 deaths from the virus as of March 27. Credit: Havering Volunteer Police Cadets via Storyful