Santa Claus is coming to town, but it’s unclear how the coronavirus pandemic will impact his yearly trip around the world.
What’s going on?
Santa Claus will be bringing gifts to children all across the world this year. But NORAD — the Santa tracking service that shares data on his “whereabouts” every December — has no idea what to expect in 2020.
- “As NORAD, we simply use our satellites, radars and fighter aircraft to track Santa on Dec. 24. Unfortunately we have no insight on his plans or preparations for Christmas,” NORAD sent in a statement to the Deseret News.
So NORAD doesn’t know if Santa Claus plans to wear a mask when he’s handing out gifts, or if he’s going to practice social distancing in your household.
Dr. Fauci knows something
Dr. Anthony Fauci recently told USA Today that Santa has immunity to COVID-19, though, which might mean that jolly ol’ elf might be safe this year.
- “Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity,” Fauci told USA Today. “Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody.”
Frank Vandenbroucke, the health minister for Belgium, sent a letter to Santa Claus in November that said Santa is free to not wear a mask, too, even during a major surge of COVID-19 cases, as I wrote for the Deseret News.