This year, Norwegian children will not be allowed to sit on the lap of Santa Claus

Santa ClausPhoto: Kyrre Lien / NTB

This year, those who work as Santa Clauses must keep at least one meter away from the children. Thus, the children will not be allowed to sit on their laps.

“Spreading joy is what we want to do most. Exposing someone to the risk of infection, and in that way, spreading the coronavirus, is something we want to avoid,” Ole Bele, leader of the Santa Claus Guild in Norway, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).

The guild has around 60 members, who take on assignments as Santas in the run-up to Christmas. 

The guild is now working on formulating corona guidelines for this year’s holiday.

“There must be at least one meter of distance between Santa and the children. That means they cannot sit on your lap,” Bele said.

“We might also set up Plexiglas when the children take a picture with Santa. We have also considered a Santa mask, but we will try to avoid that,” he said.

Fewer Santas

He also believes that fewer people will rent Santa Clauses on Christmas Eve because gift-giving at a distance will be challenging.

Many of the guild’s members take on assignments at shopping centers in the run-up to Christmas. 

Due to the coronavirus, the shopping center chain Steen og Strøm will not have Santa Clauses this year. 

The Olav Thon group is also considering dropping Santa Clauses at their centers.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today

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