Pandemic Ethics: Should Santa Claus Deliver Christmas Presents This Year? Preparing For Our First COVID-19 Christmas
Written by: Alberto Giubilini; Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, &
Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, University of Oxford
It’s that time of the year again, when Christmas decorations start to appear way too early in shopping malls. It’s beginning to look a bit too much like Christmas. Except that, being it 2020, of course this year “it will be different”.
Pubs are very optimistically accepting bookings for Christmas dinners, but many Christmas markets are (un)fortunately being cancelled. You might still see your distant relatives on Christmas day, but (un)fortunately no more than 6 of them at any one time.
Amidst the inevitable confusion, one obvious question is whether Santa Claus should deliver presents this year.
There are various factors to consider when deciding what Santa – but indeed everyone else – should be allowed to do over Christmas. The most relevant are probably the following:
- COVID-19 infection rate over Christmas.
- Risks and benefits for others of Santa’s job.
- Risks and benefits for Santa