Boris Johnson reassures children that Santa will not be breaking Covid rules by delivering presents this Christmas

Mr Johnson shared the letter he received from eight-year-old Monti, alongside his response via his Twitter account on Wednesday, November 25.

In his letter about Santa, Monti asked the Prime Minister: “If we leave hand sanitiser by the cookies, can he come? Or will he need to wash his hands?”

The schoolboy added: “I understand you are very busy but can you and the scientists please talk about this.”

The Prime Minister responded to reassure children that Santa will be allowed to visit homes across the country this year and even supported the idea of leaving out hand sanitiser.

Mr Johnson said: “I know millions of other children are asking the same thing. Just to make sure, I have put in a call to the North Pole and I can tell you Father Christmas is raring to go.

"The Chief Medical Officer has asked me to tell you that, provided Father Christmas behaves in his usual responsible way and works quickly and safely, there are no risks to your health or his.

"Leaving hand sanitiser by the cookies is an excellent idea to help prevent the spread of the virus – using it yourself, and washing your hands regularly, is exactly the kind of thing that will get you and your friends on the nice list.”

The rules for Santa come less than 24 hours after all four UK governments announced that there would be a five-day relaxation of social restrictions to allow families to come together over the Christmas period.

From December 23 until December 27, up to three households will be able to form an exclusive bubble with each other to meet in private homes, outdoors and places of worship without the need for social distancing.

On Monday, November 23, Boris Johnson warned that “Christmas cannot be normal” this year and despite the relaxation of rules, he said families need to make a “careful judgement” over visiting elderly relatives this festive period.

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