The North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known as NORAD, announced preparations on Monday for its annual tracking of the arrival of Santa Claus.
The "NORAD Tracks Santa" program that traditionally follows a simulated track of Santa Clause from the North Pole around the world on Christmas Eve will happen again this year, but the command has made some changes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While NORAD will track Santa's journey — as it has every year since 1955 — most people who call 1-800-HI-NORAD for updates on the Christmas Eve trip may get a recording instead of a live volunteer.
Officials at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado said Monday that the NORAD Tracks Santa call center will only have a small number of volunteers taking calls this year as part of ongoing public concern about increasing COVID-19 cases.
"While NORAD understands the call center is an important tradition for many families around the world, we [are reducing] the health risks posed by attempting to conduct a large, indoor, in-person call center during the pandemic," officials said in a statement.
The call center presence will be reduced, but Santa will be trackable on NORAD's website, www.noradsanta.org, on Dec. 24, as well as with mobile apps and social media, including OnStar and Amazon Alexa, beginning on Dec. 1, the command said.
The combined defense agency of the United States and Canada normally conducts aerospace and maritime warning and control in the defense of North America as it identifies hostile aircraft across the Arctic region.
