Christmas Eve visits by Santa via Carson City Sheriff's Reserves to go virtual due to COVID concerns
The Carson City Sheriff's Office Reserve, which has hosted an annual Christmas Eve program for decades with pre-arranged visits by Santa and elves to local homes, has been canceled and replaced instead with a virtual message greeting for families. The reason for the change this year is due to COVID-19 concerns.
Though bad weather in the past has altered some of the visits — which have ranged from 80 to 100 stops annually including the pediatric ward at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center — the change to a virtual visit is the first of its kind for the Carson City Sheriff's Office Reserve.
The reason for the change is for the safety of the reserve officers, volunteers and for families due to spikes in COVID-19 cases happening around the city, state and nation, said CCSO Reserve Commander Tom Crawford.
Instead of home visits, a video will be produced exclusively for the Reserve Deputy Sheriff's Santa Program and distributed to families via social media, said Crawford. The Santa hotline has been discontinued.
"While we apologize for not being able to this, it is in the best interest of the community and the households we serve," said Crawford.
Crawford said the annual Christmas Eve visits will return again next year.
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