My Kid Asks: Can Santa Claus Get the Coronavirus? [ANSWER INSIDE]
The other day I was driving home from work to self-quarantine, and my 9-year-old daughter, Willow, asked me if the Coronavirus had reached the North Pole.
Willow's inquiring mind wants to know. Us parents, we have all the answers. (We also have all the questions, like, how she is it she STILL believes in Santa?)
"Um, I'm not sure if anyone in Greenland* has the Coronavirus. Why do you ask?" I replied.
"Because Santa Claus is really old and I really hope that he does not catch the Coronavirus!" she shrieked.
It seems my child has actually been paying attention to all of the COVID-19 warnings from the CDC that I have been sharing with her. How rude of me, I have never once considered if Santa Claus was being safe out here in these Coronavirus streets!
Santa is elderly, but we don't know if he has any underlying health issues. I told Willow that I don't think Santa is leaving his house that much this time of year anyway. As long as he and Mrs. Claus stay at home, they should be A-OKAY!
"Whew! Besides, he won't catch Coronavirus because he can sprinkle on some Christmas Magic and protect himself," she replied.
*Santa Claus does not in fact live in Greenland. Santa & Mrs. Claus reportedly live in Lapland, Finland, although other sources say that they live at 325 Santa Claus Lane in Alaska. USA Today says that Santa lives at 123 Elf Road, also located in the North Pole.
According to this map from the Centers For Disease Control, neither Greenland nor Finland are listed as one of the countries with Coronavirus victims. On March 20th, The National Institute for World Health Care issued a warning to all Finns and permanent residents arriving to Finland to self-quarantine in place for 14 days.