50 Georgia kids potentially exposed to COVID-19 after Santa, Mrs. Claus test positive
By FOX 5 Digital Team
Published article
LONG COUNTY, Ga. - Around 50 children were potentially exposed to COVID-19 in a Georgia County after the man and woman playing Santa and Mrs. Claus in a Christmas parade tested positive for the virus.
The Long County Board of Commissioners said the exposure happened on Thursday, Dec. 10 at the annual Long County Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade and tree lighting in Ludowici, Georgia.
According to officials, the people playing Santa and Mrs. Claus both received positive test results after having their pictures taken with roughly 50 children. They were asymptomatic at the time of the parade.
Image via Getty/Westend61
Santa and Mrs. Claus cosplayers in Georgia tested positive for COVID-19 just two days after taking photos with as many as 50 children during a special mid-pandemic holiday event.
In a warning to potentially affected families, Long County Commission Chairman Robert Parker who claims to have known the two people portraying the beloved Claus couple his entire life advised parents to keep their exposed kids at home until 2021. School or related activities, however, are not being canceled. 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, Parker said, per a report from regional outlet WTOC 11.
Robert Parker, chairman of the Long County Commission, in a news release, per
CNN. “They were not displaying any symptoms at the time of the event.”
The school board has asked parents of children who came in contact with Santa and Mrs. Claus to keep their kids home from in-school learning until after the holiday break.
“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,” said Parker, whose own children posed for pictures with Santa Claus.
Bah HumBUG! Maskless Santa and Mrs. Claus test positive for COVID-19 two days after taking photos with at least 50 kids sitting on their laps at Georgia parade
A Georgia couple who sat children on their laps to take pictures as Santa and Mrs. Claus tested positive for COVID-19 two days later
Only Mrs. Claus wears a mask in any of the pictures
At least 50 children and their families are thought to have been exposed
They have been told to stay home from school but schools will remain open despite an increase in cases among students and staff
Local elected officials have defended the decision to allow the Christmas event to go ahead despite the increase in cases
50 kids in Georgia potentially exposed to COVID-19 after Santa, Mrs. Claus test positive
Carla Carniel/AP
Volunteer Allan Victor, dressed as Santa Claus talk with children during an event at the Bento Bicudo neighbourhood to distribute food and toys in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Carla Carniel)
and last updated 2020-12-15 10:55:02-05
Dozens of children in South Georgia were potentially exposed to COVID-19 at a Christmas celebration last week after it was later discovered that Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus had tested positive for the virus.
Long County, Georgia â a county located about an hour west of Savannah â hosted its annual Christmas parade last Thursday which included a tree lighting and a photo opp with Santa.