Queen Elizabeth was forced to cancel a centuries-old tradition for Easter season because of the coronavirus. Every Maundy Thursday, the Queen usually hands out the Maundy money to a group of people at Windsor Castle but the gathering has since been canceled as a safety precaution against the virus spread.
So, instead of giving the Maundy money out to the 188 people who were supposed to get it this year, Queen Elizabeth sent the recipients their gifts by mail. Her Majesty also wrote a letter to say how disappointed she was that the tradition had to be canceled, per People.
One of the recipients is a 101-year-old man, Thomas Brock, who has been ringing church bells in his community since he was seven years old. Another recipient, Bill Allen, 100, who is from Essex and who worked as a WWII dispatch rider.
Many of the recipients are in the age that would have to be required to self-isolate and stay home since the coronavirus is much riskier for those above 70 years old. Had the event not been canceled, these guests would have traveled from different parts of the U.K. to Windsor, thus putting their health and lives at risk.
The Queen said in her letter that decision to cancel the Maundy money ceremony was a necessary choice given the situation. To date, more than 7,000 people in the U.K. died after getting infected by coronavirus and many of them are the elderly.
According to the Yorkshire Post, the Maundy money tradition dates back to 600 A.D. and was only interrupted during times of war. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has been likened to a wartime crisis, which even Queen Elizabeth alluded to in her address to the nation last Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Queen is still isolating in Windsor and may likely stay there with Prince Philip until the end of May. Buckingham Palace in London may have been compromised since a staff who worked there was positive for the virus.
London is also the U.K.'s epicenter for the coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 55, contracted COVID-19 and had to be admitted to the ICU on Sunday because he had problems with his breathing. Queen Elizabeth had to be updated every hour on the condition of Johnson.
As of press time, the prime minister still remains at the hospital but is now out of the ICU after three days. A spokesperson said that Johnson is in the early phase of his recovery from COVID-19.
