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Legault, Santa team up to reassure Quebec's children during a holiday season like no other

With Christmas around the corner, a 10-year-old boy named Maxime asked Quebec Premier François Legault when he will be able to see his grandparents again during a special news conference on Sunday.

Santa Claus, sitting roughly two metres away from the premier, took over.

"Grandfathers and grandmothers will receive the vaccine first," replied the white-bearded man in a red suit.

"Sooner or later, everyone will receive the vaccine."

With a warm smile on his face, Legault kept the mood light as he delivered his holiday message to the children of Quebec — thanking and congratulating them for their efforts to follow public health restrictions.

"It was not easy for children," he said. "You had to learn, like us, to wear a mask and stay two metres away from others."

The event was prerecorded and posted to the premier's social media pages.

Legault took the opportunity to reassure children that Santa is an essential worker and, though much is closed or is closing in the province, the jolly North Pole resident will be on the move Christmas Eve.

Santa is now recognized as a "priority service," Legault said.

While people aren't supposed to have house guests right now, Legault said there's no reason to worry about Santa stopping by because the North Pole is still a green zone — a reference to Quebec's colour-coded COVID-19 alert system that measures the risk of a region.

Being green means Santa and all his helpers are safe from the pandemic while making toys, but Legault warned kids that they should stay in bed through the night on Christmas Eve in order to avoid infecting Santa Claus.

But Santa later mentioned that he is vaccinated and the shot didn't hurt one bit.

The premier also asked kids to not get too wild over the holidays and hug their parents after everybody had a rough year.

"You will see your friends again on Monday, Jan. 11," Legault promised the children, as that is when some public health restrictions are supposed to be lifted.