Santas Want Swine Flu Vaccine Priority

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on Nov 18, 2009 4:20PM

Whether we're ready for it or not, it's the holiday season and with Thanksgiving a week away, that means it's almost time for the deluge of mall Santas. But there's a twist this year: the spread of the dreaded H1N1 virus. And with mall Santas handling dozens (if not, in some cases, hundreds) of children every day for almost a month, there's some reason for concern. At a recent conference, the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas covered basics of swine flu prevention including hand sanitizers. And one group in Alabama, as the Associated Press explains, is asking for priority in terms of receiving the vaccine.

Ernest Berger, president of another group called Santa America, asked an Alabama congressman last week to designate Santas a priority group for the swine flu vaccine, like health care workers or infant caregivers.

A spokesman for Republican Rep. Jo Bonner confirmed Berger's request and said staff members were looking into it.

Berger hopes Santas will use hand sanitizer and encourage children to do the same, without turning the experience into a hygiene lecture.

"It's a delicate balance here. This is not an exercise in health care. This is visiting Santa," he said.

One other suggestion we'd like to make: facemasks under the beards. No one will notice.