No Santa for Sick Kids

Santa Clauses in the US have a shadow on their cheer this season—swine flu.

Santa Clauses in the US have a shadow on their cheer this season. They’re worried about contracting swine flu, as they interact with lots of children. Santa America, an association of Santas, has even lobbied for priority swine flu vaccines. Ernest Berger, its president, says that with two-thirds of Santas overweight, they are also a high risk group for H1N1. His association’s members will wash their suits every day instead of the earlier once-a-week norm. And they won’t wear gloves, so they can wash hands often. Another Santa lobby, The Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, has asked parents to keep sick kids away from them.