The coronavirus pandemic won’t stop Santa, so it won’t stop NORAD either. The North American Aerospace Defense Command is already preparing for its annual tracking of Santa’s journey delivering presents all over the world.
The NORAD Tracks Santa program is on schedule despite COVID-19 challenges and will continue their tradition of tracking Santa’s flight path throughout Christmas Eve, as they have since 1955.
Children curious about Santa’s progress during his incredible Christmas Eve journey will be able to check the NORAD Tracks Santa website, social media and new mobile app to find his current location. Normally, a call center packed with volunteers would field calls from children nationwide, but adjustments for safe social distancing have reduced the call center’s capacity. To safely carry out the call center, only a few volunteers will be answering calls from children who call, while an automated message with Santa’s current location will play for those who don’t reach a volunteer.
“While NORAD understands the call center is an important tradition for many families around the world, we reduce the health risks posed by attempting to conduct a large indoor, in-person, call center during the pandemic. NORAD is committed to tracking Santa while keeping our military, their families, and our dedicated call center volunteers safe,” a news release from NORAD said.
To get an update about Santa’s journey, children, and anyone wanting to track Santa, can call toll-free number, 1-877-Hi-NORAD, on Dec. 24. Santa trackers can also visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website, noradsanta.org, or use their new mobile app to get updated statistics, which will go live Dec. 1 with information and games. The app will soon be available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Families can also find where Santa is using NORAD Tracks Santa partners, like OnStar and Amazon Alexa.
The program will also update millions of followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
___
(c) 2020 The Sacramento Bee
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
