With Christmas just two weeks away, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appeared on a television program to answer questions from children who were feeling a little anxious about Christmas during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Ardern appeared on 1 News, a news program on New Zealand's national broadcaster, TVNZ.
With borders closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and many countries unable to enter, will Santa Claus be able to deliver presents from country to country? To answer children's questions, 1 News anchor Hilary Barry posed the children's questions to the country's top leaders.
Prime Minister Ardern and Hilary Barry
Here is a video of the interaction between the children and Prime Minister Ardern in the video that was released.
Will Santa come to NZ this year?
The answer is "Yes". Of course, we carefully considered whether it was safe. Santa lives in the North Pole, where there is no COVID-19 infection, and he will be the first to come to New Zealand. Also, Santa Claus does not meet anyone, so we concluded that it is safe.
New Zealand is +12 hours GMT. It is one of the countries where the sun rises the earliest. So we celebrate Christmas before anywhere else. It would be nice if Santa could come first.
Will Santa be quarantined as well?
If Santa is quarantined, he may not be able to deliver presents to everyone. Other countries will not be able to deliver presents in time. After consulting with Dr. Bloomfield (Director of the Health Insurance Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare), we have decided that Santa does not need to be quarantined.
New Zealand is currently closing its borders. New Zealand nationals or permanent residents, as well as those with special government permission, can enter the country. Basically, upon entry, people are required to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel near the airport, but it seems that the government has given Santa an exemption from quarantine.
Does Santa have to follow the rules?
Santa went through the proper formal procedures so we could consider whether it was really safe for us to allow Santa into the country. He comes from the North Pole where there is no corona, and Santa doesn't meet anyone. This year, no one can meet Santa, so Santa will distribute presents by himself.
Santa has received special permission from the government after going through the proper procedures. One of the reasons he was granted permission is that he lives in the North Pole, where no cases of coronavirus have been confirmed.
Is it okay to give this to Santa?
This is a great question, and we've looked into it. Santa loves gifts. Be sure to wash your hands before you bring them, and be careful. And if Santa leaves any gifts, leave them there, just to be safe. If it's beer, don't drink the rest!
On Christmas Eve, it is customary for children to leave gifts of milk, biscuits, etc. for Santa before going to bed, so this question arose. Some families even bring beer! Of course, these gifts are sure to be fully consumed by the adults by morning.
Should I disinfect presents?
The presents you receive from Santa are safe. So there's no need to disinfect them with alcohol spray or anything like that. The elves should also wash their hands properly when preparing the presents!
Elves are fairies who live in Santa Claus' country and are employed by Santa. They help prepare presents and spy on children to make sure they are being well behaved.
What Ardern Wants
At the end of the show, Ardern was asked what she wanted for Christmas.
Time with my family. That's it, I don't need anything else.
Prime Minister Ardern got engaged to her partner Clark Gable last year. She has a 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Neve, who was born while she was in office. It was said that she would get married this year, but the spread of the new coronavirus has made it impossible for her to do so. I hope that at least she can take it easy over the Christmas holidays.
