US officials: COVID, bomb cyclone won’t slow Santa’s travels

By TERRY CHEA
Associated Press

The U.S. military agency known for tracking Santa Claus doesn’t expect COVID-19 or the “bomb cyclone” hitting North America to affect Saint Nick’s Christmas Eve deliveries. The North American Aerospace Defense Command is responsible for defending the skies above North America. But the Colorado-based agency also runs the NORAD Tracks Santa service, which allows people to follow his Christmas journey through its noradsanta.org website. The agency plans to have about 1,500 volunteers working on Christmas Eve to field phone calls from children who want updates about Santa’s progress. Lt. General David Nahom said freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall shouldn’t be a problem for a man who lives at the North Pole.