VICTORIA — British Columbia's top doctor has some good news about Christmas.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says Santa Claus is "probably" immune to COVID-19, but Christmas will still look a little different this year.
She says health officials are trying to determine how they can facilitate Santa's visits because he's going to be washing his hands a lot and probably won't be eating cookies and milk in every house, but they will find ways of making it work.
Henry says there won't be a vaccine by Christmas to save the day, but people can do a number of small things to celebrate in a safe way, especially to protect elders.
She says the virus spreads more easily in cooler weather, particularly when people are inside, which is why it's so important for people to reduce their contacts and step up their safety measures.
The news about Santa Claus comes as B.C. surpassed 20,000 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2020
