Approximately 50 children were exposed to coronavirus during a photo shoot with a Santa and Mrs. Claus in Georgia.
The exposure occurred on Thursday at Long County Chamber of Commerce's annual Christmas parade, CBS reports.
The couple who played Santa and Mrs. Claus both tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, Robert Parker, the County Commission Chairman, told WTOC-TV, a CBS affiliate in Savannah.
A statement from Long County confirmed that roughly 50 children were exposed at the event.
Parker that two of his children were among those exposed. He also expressed that he doesn’t feel “the incident is caused for panic” and that local officials "still stand by the decision of the Chamber to move forward with these holiday traditions and to bring some sense of normalcy to these trying times.”
The Long County Public School System is advising families to keep children who were exposed at the event or exhibiting symptoms at home throughout the new year. Schools in the system will still remain open, however.
"I have personally known both 'Santa' and 'Mrs. Claus' my entire life and I can assure everyone that they would have never knowingly done anything to place any children in danger,” Parker explained in a statement.
He added: “They have both filled these roles for many years, and bringing joy to children during the holidays is one of the most important parts of their lives.”
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