I think I can speak for everyone when saying that I was worried about Santa this year. With so many people, elves and animals working close together, there was bound to be a COVID-19 breakout at the North Pole. Additionally, because presents must be sanitized after they are dropped off, how would the residents at the North Pole safely distribute them? Santa can’t possibly go to everyone’s house this year— he would be a super-spreader! Naturally, being the dedicated reporter that I am, I had to find out the truth, even if it was hard to swallow.

After starting my research plan to get in touch with a contact at the North Pole, I went to Christmas Valley, Ore. and conferenced with Prancer’s cousin, Chad. After much convincing and reassurance that I was investigating for the people, he connected me to Mrs. Claus. We texted back and forth, and she gave me the run-down on North Pole safety protocols.

Thankfully, the elves and animals that work with the Clauses are immune to the virus, and there have been no COVID-19 cases at the North Pole yet. Additionally, the week before Christmas, Santa will take Mrs. Claus’s magical antivirus potion that will prevent him from contracting or spreading the virus for one week, three days and seven hours. She made sure to explain that it is an extreme delicacy involving the adoption of an orphaned unicorn and glitter from one of Jojo Siwa’s rainbow hair-bows, and clarified that it does not work for anyone foreign to the North Pole.

On the night of Christmas Eve, Santa will embark on his journey across the globe like every year. He will have to follow the protocol for social distancing according to where he is, so your family doesn’t have to worry about that. Although, Mrs. Claus mentioned how difficult it was to find a mask big enough to cover his enormous beard. It is ultimately up to the individual family whether or not to supply Santa and his reindeer with cookies, milk and carrots.

Mrs. Claus also sent a file of Santa’s top five ways to stay on the Nice List:

1. Wear a mask
2. Social-distance when with non-family members
3. Keep your camera on if you can during online school meets
4. Stay on extended family Zoom calls for more than five minutes
5. Don’t eat all of the candy in the advent calendar at once

The holidays will be extra special this year, so that also means Santa is under a lot of pressure with all of his important duties. It is vital that we remain extra understanding to the North Pole team by taking the extra steps to ensure their safety and everyone else’s. Even though Santa will take the magical antivirus potion, it is still important to mask up and stay six feet apart to guarantee a wonderful and safe holiday season!