COVID-19 UPDATE

COVID-19 Update June 1, 2023

We continue to monitor any guidelines or requirements from the Province as it relates to any situation that could be impactful to Santa's Cottage. f there are Provincially mandated orders which prevent us from operating entirely, we will issue refunds. If there are Provincially mandated orders that outline operating procedures that we must follow in order to continue to operate, we will adjust as necessary and continue operating under the guidelines provided by the Province. While we will continue to allow visitors to sit on Santa's lap this year, we ask that you remain mindful of the health of Santa and our other visitors if your child is sick or has a runny nose.

COVID-19 Update- November 1st 2022

We wanted to take a moment to provide an update in regards to our Santa visits this year.

With the current requirements, we are able to return to our traditional Santa visit BUT our primary focus is the health and safety of Santa and our visitors. While we can allow visitors to sit on Santa’s lap during the appointment this year, we do ask that you consider the health of Santa, if your child has a cold or runny nose. We will continue to have the option of a distanced visit with Santa. As experienced over the last few years, our set up in any situation will always provide some amazing photos!

If Provincially mandated orders are announced that outline operating procedures that we must follow in order to continue to operate, we will adjust as necessary and continue operating under the guidelines provided by the Province. We are fully prepared to adjust if need be to accommodate any mandatory requirements that are announced.

COVID-19 UPDATE- JUNE 7, 2022

Hello Santa's Cottage friends! As we start to plan our 2022 season we know that COVID-19 is still very much a part of our daily lives. At this time we do not know if any Provincial regulations will be in place at the time of our opening, November 1, 2022. We remain vigilant in continuing to monitor any updates from the Province or Durham Region and will continue to post updates as we receive them.

Though we remain extremely hopeful that our 2022 season will resemble the visits and pictures before the pandemic, at this time we cannot provide any concrete details as to masking requirements and/or distanced visits until closer to our opening date.

Any required Provincial guidelines will be strictly enforced. If there are Provincially mandated orders which prevent us from operating entirely, we will issue refunds. If there are Provincially mandated orders that outline operating procedures that we must follow in order to continue to operate, we will adjust as necessary and continue operating under the guidelines provided by the Province. We are fully prepared to adjust if need be to accommodate any mandatory requirements that are announced. If required, some changes may be applied and visits may be held entirely outdoors and/or with additional requirements in place.

COVID-19 UPDATE- December 17th, 2021

Following the most recent announcement by the Province of Ontario, new gathering limitations have been set:

10 people indoors (including Santa)

25 people outdoors.

These new gathering limitations will be strictly enforced for all appointments. All additional COVID-19 requirements stated below (September 10th, 2021 update) will continue to be enforced.

Please note: we will be continuously monitoring for any updates and will advise of any procedural changes. All Provincial requirements will be strictly enforced. If there are Provincially mandated orders which prevent us from operating entirely, we will issue refunds. If there are Provincially mandated orders that outline operating procedures that we must follow in order to continue to operate, we will adjust as necessary and continue operating under the guidelines provided by the Province. We are fully prepared to adjust if need be to accommodate any mandatory requirements that are announced. If required, some changes may be applied and visits may be held entirely outdoors and/or with additional requirements in place.

COVID-19 UPDATE- September 10th, 2021

Hello Santa’s Cottage Friends!

Santa’s Cottage has been actively engaging with our local health department and have reviewed the O.Reg 364/20 to ensure all Provincial requirements are being followed for our 2021 season. The following policies will be in place for Santa visits this year:

-All persons attending an appointment at Santa’s Cottage within the indoor area must wear a face mask or face covering in a manner that covers their mouth, nose and chin.

-Children under 2 years old are not required to wear a mask.

-Santa will be required to wear a mask at all times.

-Children will not be permitted to sit on Santa’s lap. Social distancing measures during visits with Santa will be enforced.

-Indoor gatherings will be limited to 25 persons.

Please note: we will be continuously monitoring for any updates and will advise of any procedural changes. All Provincial requirements at the time of opening and throughout our season will be strictly enforced. If there are Provincially mandated orders which prevent us from operating entirely, we will issue refunds. If there are Provincially mandated orders that outline operating procedures that we must follow in order to continue to operate, we will adjust as necessary and continue operating under the guidelines provided by the Province. We are fully prepared to adjust if need be to accommodate any mandatory requirements that are in place at the time of opening and throughout our season. If required, some changes may be applied and visits may be held entirely outdoors and/or with additional requirements in place.

COVID-19 UPDATE- June 8th, 2021

Hello Santa's Cottage Friends!

Santa's Cottage continues to monitor the Provincial requirements surrounding COVID-19 and all Provincial regulations and requirements will be followed. This could include gathering restrictions once our appointments begin as well as any and all mask requirements. At this time we do not know if we are allowed to resume Santa visits as held prior to the pandemic. We do not know if children will be permitted this year to sit on Santa's knee or if there will be mandated mask requirements when indoors. All Provincial requirements at the time of opening will be strictly enforced. We understand that these continue to be challenging times for all and we will keep everyone informed with any procedural changes if applicable. As always, Santa's Cottage is an appointment only service. If there are Provincially mandated orders which prevent us from operating entirely, we will issue refunds. If there are Provincially mandated orders that outline operating procedures that we must follow in order to continue to operate, we will adjust as necessary and continue operating under the guidelines provided by the Province. We are fully prepared to adjust if need be to accommodate any mandatory requirements that are in place at the time of opening. We hope that our Santa visits and Outdoor Gallery visits will remain unaffected however, if required, some changes may be applied and visits may be held entirely outdoors and/or with social distancing requirements in place. Please watch our Facebook page as well as our website for posted updates as they occur.

COVID-19 UPDATE- Dec 4th, 2020

Hi Santa's Cottage friends! In response to Durham Region's recent transition into the RED- Control level, we are providing an update to our COVID-19 policy. We have been in communication with the Ministry of Labour (MOL) and Durham Health and Santa's Cottage is permitted to continue to operate with gathering restrictions of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Please note: you must account for Santa and Mrs.Claus indoors when calculating! Our mask policy, social distancing requirements and strict cleaning policy, as communicated below, remain unchanged and will continued to be enforced.

As per our previous COVID-19 statement posted, Santa's Cottage is an appointment only service and will enforce all social distancing and group gathering requirements, as well as follow all Health Canada guidelines. We have adjusted our service to give you and your family the best possible Santa experience while following all Provincially mandated requirements. If there are Provincially mandated orders which prevent us from operating entirely we will issue refunds. We will continue to monitor the Provincial updates and amend our business response and operating procedures if required. Please ensure to keep informed with any procedural changes on our website and Facebook page. We know that changes to COVID-19 requirements can happen at a moments notice and we will be actively providing updates as we receive them.

We look forward to seeing you and your family soon!

COVID-19 UPDATE- October 7th, 2020

Hi Santa’s Cottage friends! This year has been challenging for everyone and we have been working hard to make sure that your 2020 Santa’s Cottage experience is safe for all.

Christmas is coming and Santa’s Cottage visits start November 1st! The creative ideas have been flowing here and Santa and Mrs.Claus have been hard at work to make sure all Provincial requirements are being met. Our 2020 season will be proceeding with Santa visits in Santa’s Workshop! Santa’s Workshop allows for safe social distancing requirements to be followed while still allowing the kids to come and visit Santa! We are so excited for you to see Santa’s Workshop!! Because of COVID-19 we cannot permit children to sit on Santa’s knee this year, but the kids will be able to talk to Santa, and tell him their Christmas wishes while respecting safe social distancing measures across his workbench….and get the chance to see where he and the elves build all their toys!! Families attending will be required to wear masks when coming for their visit. We will have hand sanitizer available for use. We have implemented a strict cleaning procedure between visits in which all workshop surfaces will be disinfected. Please note, Santa’s Workshop is not inside the Santa’s Cottage house so we recommend you dress warmly as Santa’s big Workshop doors will be open and is not heated. As always, Mrs.Claus is available to help with family photos! All Provincial gathering requirements will be followed during each visit.

MASK REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN:

-Children up to 2 years old are not required to wear a mask.

-It is recommended for children aged 2-5 to wear a mask however if the child is unwilling to wear the mask it will not be forced upon them

-All visitors over the age of 5 are required to wear a mask and masks are required for the duration of your time within Santa's Workshop.

-When taking photos outside with the features around the yard, masks are recommended however not required. All social distancing measures will be enforced.

Along with Santa's AMAZING Workshop, Santa has created some amazing new things to take pictures with outside this year! We can't wait for you to visit!

We understand that this may come as a disappointment to some, and we wish that this year we could continue our amazing personalized Santa visits like normal, however 2020 has been a challenging year for many people and we have to make sure everyone is safe during this unprecedented time. Though it may look different this year we are confident that you and your family will have an amazing experience at Santa’s COVID friendly workshop.

We look forward to seeing you and your family soon!

COVID-19 UPDATE- JULY 1st, 2020
Santa's Cottage is actively keeping up-to-date with the ever evolving COVID-19 situation. Please know that we are fully prepared to follow all Provincial Regulations and will adjust Santa visits as required. We know that these are challenging times and will keep everyone informed with any procedural changes if applicable. Santa's Cottage is an appointment only service and will enforce all social distancing and group gathering requirements, as well as follow all Health Canada guidelines. If there are Provincially mandated orders which prevent us from operating entirely we will issue refunds. If there are Provincially mandated orders that outline operating procedures that we must follow in order to continue to operate we will adjust as necessary and continue operating under the guidelines provided by the Province. We are fully prepared to adjust if need be to accommodate any mandatory requirements that are in place at the time of opening. We hope that our Santa visits will remain unaffected however, if required, some changes may be applied and visits may be held entirely outdoors. Please watch our Facebook page as well as our website for posted updates as they occur.