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Canadian kids looking forward to a visit with Santa at their local mall will have to settle for a very different experience this year.
One of Canada’s largest shopping mall operators is canceling Santa’s in-person visits amid the rise in COVID-19 cases in provinces, including Ontario.
Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd. said Friday that it will suspend physical experiences with Santa at all of its 19 malls, including the Eaton Center and Fairview Mall in Toronto and the Pacific Center in Vancouver.
The company also owns shopping malls in Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick.
“While we know this might be disappointing for families looking forward to this annual tradition, we firmly believe this is the best decision,” Craig Flannagan, Cadillac Fairview vice president of marketing, said in a statement.
Cadillac Fairview had been offering in-person reservations for Santa’s visit until Thursday. He had planned to limit visits with Santa to nine people at a time for up to five minutes and to implement a policy of mandatory masks and sanitation among guests.
Cadillac Fairview will instead offer French and English Santa story sessions on Facebook for families and will allow people to book one-on-one video chats with the friendly North Pole man.
The switch, which will not result in any job losses, came after lengthy conversations with government officials and consumers, Flannagan said.
“Similar to what we have seen with other major events like weddings and birthday parties, we believe this temporary move to online is the responsible thing to do in a very different year,” he said.
On the same day Cadillac Fairview revised its plans, Ontario reported 1,396 new cases of COVID-19 and linked 17 new deaths in the province to the virus.
Several provinces have seen dramatic growth in the number of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. Some are subject to new restrictions – at least in some regions – as authorities rush to control the spread of the disease.
Cadillac Fairview has already implemented physical clearance and traffic flow measures, required staff to wear personal protective equipment and increased the cleanliness of surfaces that are frequently touched.
Other mall operators have told CBC News in statements that they are still weighing their options when it comes to Santa’s visits.
Ivanhoé Cambridge, operator of Tsawwassen Mills and Burnaby’s Metrotown, said he is “monitoring the situation” in British Columbia and has not yet decided on a course of action for his shopping centers in that province.
Morguard, who owns the Coquitlam Center and Sevenoaks Shopping Center in Abbotsford, BC, said it will have an update “in the next few days.”
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