Santa blamed for 18 care home deaths

A VISIT to a care home by a super-spreader Santa infected with Covid-19 is believed to be the source of an outbreak that has left 18 elderly residents dead – with fears the death toll will rise further.

The Father Christmas, unaware he had coronavirus, posed happily with residents at Hemelrijck care home in the Belgian town of Mol near Antwerp in early December.

His visit is thought to have infected 121 residents and 36 staff, with deaths steadily rising since.

Five residents died on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to bring the number killed so far to 18. The unnamed Father Christmas later fell ill himself and tested positive for the disease.

Known as ‘Sinterklaas’ in Dutch-speaking northern Belgium, the festive visitor and his helpers known as Zwarte Piet (‘Black Pete’), a controversial character often branded racist for using blackface, had intended only to spread Christmas cheer among the home’s 150 residents.

Managers said Santa and his helpers were therapists who visit at other times of year. ‘We’re expecting up to ten difficult days,’ admitted town mayor Wim Caeyers. ‘Several laboratories are currently trying to determine the source of the infections, but I have not yet received results. This therefore remains uncertain for the moment.’

Mr Caeyers said it was initially thought the Santa visitor had followed social-distancing rules, but photographs later emerged showing residents had not worn face masks.

‘Initially they said that the rules had been followed, but then straight away you receive photos from the families of residents where you can see this wasn’t the case,’ he said.

He told Flemish television the visit had been ‘made with the best intent, but it went wrong’, adding: ‘It has been a very black day for the care home. It is a very great mental strain to bear for the man that played St Nicholas, as well as for the organisers and the staff.’

Doctors and paramedics have been mobilised in the town of 35,000 people in an effort to control the outbreak.

J a nnes Verheyen, a s pokesman for Armonea, the firm that runs the residential facility, said: ‘The team is very shocked by what happened, but that also makes them very motivated to get the virus out again.’

Belgium has so far recorded 634,904 Covid cases with a total death toll of 19,038.