On December 10, during an annual Christmas tradition in a small town in southern Georgia, dozens of children spent time with Santa and Mrs Claus.
Now, officials in Ludowici, Georgia, must act with unsettling aftermath. The pair tested positive for Covid-19 two days after the event.
“It has now been brought to the attention of the Chamber of Commerce, as well as my office, that after the event both ‘Santa’ and ‘Mrs. Claus’ were tested for the Covid-19 virus and both received positive test results,” Robert Parker said in a news release, chairman of the Long County Commission. “They were not displaying any symptoms at the time of the event.”
After participating in the Long County Chamber of Commerce parade, Santa and Mrs. Claus were at a “well attended” tree lighting and an event where around 50 children took a photo with Santa.
Parker offered a mixed message, in the news release saying that the incident was both a “cause for concern” and that he did “not feel this incident is cause for panic.” The chairman said that both of his children were part of the estimated number that had taken their photo with Santa.
“I have personally known both ‘Santa’ and ‘Mrs. Claus’ my entire life and I can assure everyone that they would have never knowingly done anything to place any children in danger,” he explained.
“They have both filled these roles for many years, and bringing joy to children during the holidays is one of the most important parts of their lives.”
While Parker said that he speaks for the majority of the commission is saying that they plan to move forward with other holiday traditions to bring “some sense of normalcy” to the pandemic, he confirmed in a CNN report that there is “nothing else scheduled” for the remainder of the year.
Parker added that he and his family have not displayed any symptoms of Covid-19.