You better not cry. You better not pout. Santa Claus is still coming to town this year amid the COVID pandemic.
“Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody,” Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, told USA Today. “Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity,”
Fauci is not the only one to weigh in on Santa’s travels this year.
NORAD said it will continue its tradition of tracking Santa as he travels across the globe.
“NORAD is committed to tracking Santa while keeping our military, their families, and our dedicated call center volunteers safe,” NORAD said, according to CNN.
The organization will have fewer volunteers to answer phones this year, however, families can track jolly old Saint Nicholas using a new apps and website.
Belgian Health Minister, Frank Vandenbroucke, also wrote a letter to St. Nicholas to let him know he was exempt from quarantine rules that might interfere with his festive trip, CNN reported.
During these two weeks of vacation, moms and dads are doing their best to take care of them even more, but this year they deserve your visit more than ever. Every child is a hero, and for once, you don’t need to check in your big, wise notebook,” he wrote, the news station reported.
Without all that Christmas magic, Santa might be considered high risk, as he’s overweight and very old.
Still, he’s been taking precautions.
Instead of kids sitting on Santa’s lap, they will be 6 feet away, sometimes from behind a sheet of plexiglass. They also may need to wear a face mask, even while posing for photos, the Associated Press reported.
Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, is offering virtual visits with Santa.
For $10, guests can walk through a magical winter wonderland and enjoy a video visit with Santa, streaming live from his workshop in the North Pole, and commemorate the trip by taking a green-screen photo with Santa. Included in the experience is a personalized candle label.
These changes, although important, won’t impact Christmas day.
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