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3-year-old surprised by garbage truck birthday parade during coronavirus lockdown

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3-year-old surprised by garbage truck birthday parade during coronavirus lockdown
Lena Riley, 3, got the birthday surprise of her life when her favourite sanitation workers decked out their trucks in balloons and stopped by to surprise her on April 17. – Apr 28, 2020

Many a milestone has been missed thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic, but one little girl got the birthday surprise of her life.

Lena Riley of Henderson, Nev., loves her local sanitation workers from Republic Services. So much so that it became a tradition for Lena and her mom, Leslie, to greet them with baked goods, Good Morning America reports.

“If she hears the truck outside and we don’t have something to feed them with, she’ll start to cry and say, ‘We have to feed the blue trucks,'” Riley said. “We’ve gotten to know them very well.”

Just a day before her birthday on April 18, the toddler got a surprise from them this time.

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Organized by Riley and a family friend, a fleet of seven blue garbage trucks, adorned with balloons and a “Happy Birthday, Lena” sign, approached their home.

They even gifted Lena a bag filled with colouring books, a hat and coffee mug.

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Mom Riley took to Facebook to share photos of the heartwarming moment, writing: “This morning, we woke up to a visits from not one, not two, not even three, but seven Republic Services trash trucks swinging by to wish my blue-truck obsessed 3-year-old a happy birthday.”

“Times are hard right now, but the world is good and people are kind.”

“It’s good to see a community coming together during a time like this,” she said. “It was just the sweetest.”

“Every truck that came around the corner, more tears.”

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

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Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca

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