Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said she had “good news for the children of Alabama” when asked if the North Pole’s most famous resident would be able to make his yearly deliveries.

Ivey updated reporters on the travel plans of Saint Nicholas shortly after she received her initial dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Monday.

The governor relayed that she had recently been in detailed, high-level discussions with Santa Claus about how he would handle his important deliveries during the pandemic.

“When I talked to Santa, he assured me he’d wear his mask,” relayed the governor about her recent long-distance phone call.

Apart from the extra cloth on his face, it does not appear Alabama families should expect many other changes to the man coming down their chimneys.

Santa Claus reminded the governor about some important conditions for his yearly appearance. He reportedly said that he could deliver presents only “if all the children were sound asleep in their beds at night.”

Rudolph, in presumably welcome news for the world’s most famous reindeer, will not have to haul much coal down to the Yellowhammer State, according to Ivey.

“Santa told me the children of Alabama have been real good this year,” she informed reporters. “I agree. They’ve been troopers through this whole ordeal.”

Ivey concluded, “Let’s all have a safe and Merry Christmas.”

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.