This coming Saturday Santa will be visiting the Vista Farmers Market. It’s part of a nation-wide effort sponsored by the Carlsbad, CA based Sustainable Santa Foundation conducted in collaboration with the American Corps of Lady Santas (CLaS), now the fastest growing volunteer Santa group in the USA.
These Lady Santas and many of their male counterparts are on a mission to combat and defeat the deaths created by the Coronavirus, now known as Covid-19.
We are conducting these anti-Covid efforts vis-a-vis the actions and efforts of the Real Santas United for Healthy Kids which includes both men and women, and the American Corps of Lady Santas (CLaS) says Lady Santa Helen Nielsen who first organized the ladies-only CLaS effort in 2017.
While we all hope for an early end to this pandemic, says Lady Santa Helen, the reality is it likely will be 2021 at the earliest, if ever, that we see a preventative vaccine developed. In the meantime, however, we are not without the means to at least dramatically cut down on those “underlying health conditions” which accompany virtually every “death count” statistical report. Having a healthy immune system helps do that. And you achieve that by “Eating Real Food” – the type available at the Farmers Market.
Just remember, say the Santas, Covid-19 is just a virus. True, it is different than the seasonal H1N1 flu against which most of us get a “Flu Shot” to help ameliorate its harm. And the fact that you can spread the Covid BEFORE you have any symptoms whereby you know you have it is particularly problematic. But just like Covid’s much milder older cousin, the Common Cold, or that other relatively newer virus, AIDS, (for neither of which there is yet a preventative vaccine) we need to address it, as much as possible, in the same manner: through “good health” and “contact avoidance.”
That is what the Real Santas United and the members of CLaS are encouraging nation-wide.
At the Vista Farmers Market Santa will be on the lookout for candidates for “The Naughty List.” Those are people who are not wearing their Face Mask nor keeping their “social distancing.”
While it seems to be big news that other Farmers Markets are “reopening” says Mark Wall, who’s the Vista Market Manager, we have never shut down since we opened in 1981 making us the longest running farmers market in the county. Open in all weather, every Saturday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon in front of the Courthouse on Melrose Drive.
That has been made possible by our wonderful, health conscious patrons who have been showing up respecting the State and County guidelines of wearing their Face Masks and keeping their distances from each other, says Wall
Plus the Farmers and vendors have changed their sales behavior to avoid the touching of products and even money exchanges so that nothing becomes a Fomite.
Fomite! That is a new word for most of us says Lady Santa Helen. It means any inanimate object, that when contaminated with or exposed to infectious agents, such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses or fungi, can transfer disease to a new host. For humans, skin cells, hair, and clothing, are common sources of contamination of fomites. While Fomites are often associated particularly with hospital acquired infections (HAI), we all have been “educated” over the past months that Fomites are everywhere, says the Lady Santa. Other common fomites for humans are door knobs, light switches, handrails, elevator buttons, television remote controls, cash money, pens, and other items that are frequently touched by different people and that may be infrequently cleaned.
At the Vista Market, Santa will be there to help everyone remember to wear their face mask, keep their distance, clean their hands after encountering any Fomite, and try to not touch their face – which is a really hard one to master.
If we do all these things that keeps us on the “Nice List” says the Santas, we can dramatically increase coming through this pandemic “Healthy, Happy and Fit for Life” – the goal of the Real Santas United. But remember, being healthy and having a strong immune system is key. And the key to that is Eating Real Food, not the Fast, Junk and Processed food that has come to dominate the SAD (Standard American Diet) says Santa Helen who will be joined this coming weekend by her partner: Sustainable Santa® who at holiday time IS the Santa at the Vista Market.
