A couple in Georgia who took maskless photos with at least 50 children as they posed as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus tested positive for C...
A couple in Georgia who took maskless photos with at least 50 children as they posed as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus tested positive for COVID-19 two days later, health officials revealed.
The unnamed couple played the famous duo at a Christmas parade in Ludowici on Thursday and are pictured arriving on a fire truck before having children sit on their lap with only Mrs. Claus wearing a mask.
Robert D. Parker, chairperson of the Long County Board of Commissioners, said the pair were not displaying symptoms at the time but tested positive on Saturday.
He also defended the decision to allow the event to go ahead, claiming that the children ran the same risk of exposure at school and that he does 'not feel this incident is cause for panic'.
The Long County Schools System has asked parents to keep children who may have been exposed at home until after the holidays but the schools will remain open.
A couple in Georgia who took maskless photos with at least 50 children as they posed as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus tested positive for COVID-19 two days later, health officials revealed
The couple posed with children sitting on their knee but only Mrs. Claus wore a mask
The event was held on Thursday and the couple tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday
Parker did not name the couple but said that they had been carrying out the role of Santa and Mrs. Claus in the area for many years.
'While this event was not put on by the City of Ludowici or the Long County Board of Commissioners, it was well attended by our public officials and I believe I speak for the majority of them in saying that we still stand by the decision of the Chamber to move forward with these holiday traditions and to bring some sense of normalcy to these trying times,' he wrote in a statement to the county website.
'My children both had their picture made with Santa, and their smiles were bigger than any day when they head off to school, where the same risk of exposure exist,' Parker added.
'I want to further emphasize that no children were forced to attend the events and that choice was left solely in the hands their parents.'
Parker did advise that those who had been exposed should follow the quarantine guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control but claimed that 'it is important to note that exposures happen every day as we go about our day to day lives, often without any knowledge'.
'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,' Parker continued.
'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.'
The event was held just a day after the county's school system issued an option to parents to have their children finish out the year with virtual learning as cases among students and staff increase.
It said that there had also been an increase in students and staff who 'are quarantined due to being identified as a direct contact for a positive person'.
It said that schools would remain open until the holidays despite the rising cases, closing only on December 18.
Health officials believe at least 50 children were exposed to COVID-19
Santa and Mrs. Claud had arrived to the Christmas parade in Long County on a fire truck
The pair have played the roles of Santa and Mrs. Claus for many years in the community
The Ludowici Christmas parade was held on the same day that Georgia reported a record number of new coronavirus cases.
New daily cases reached a high of 6,121.
While the state is reporting more new cases than ever, its deaths have so far remained below its peak in August. The most deadly day was recorded on August 11 with 129 fatalities.
Hospitalizations have taken a troubling spike, however. On Monday, there were 2,962 current hospitalizations – an increase of 96 hospitalizations from the previous day, according to 11 Alive.
There have been 479,340 confirmed cases and 9,218 deaths from coronavirus in Georgia.
Of these, just 356 cases and five deaths have been in Long County.
Five nurses in Savannah, Georgia, were among the first to receive the first shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.
Nationwide, more than 16.5 million Americans have been infected and 300,723 have died.
This was also not the first 'Santa' to fall ill with COVID-19.
In November, a man known as 'Santa Jim' in a North Carolina town died of the virus, according to The Macon Telegraph.
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