Ad which shows nurses saving unconscious Santa accused of COVID-19 'scaremongering'
An ad intended to show support for National Health Service (NHS) staff and volunteers in the United Kingdom has sparked controversy by showing Santa Claus as an unconscious ICU patient. While there’s no direct mention of the coronavirus in the video — which shows Santa in an oxygen mask, then intubated, then wearing a face covering as he slowly rebuilds his strength — many viewers have presumed that he’s been hospitalized due to COVID-19.
Titled “The Gift,” the ad was released by NHS Charities Together as a Christmas campaign raising funds for frontline workers, who are seen here wearing PPE as they save an elderly man later revealed to be Santa. After recovering, he shuffles out of the hospital in his red suit, leaving behind gifts and a special message of thanks for his nurse. The video ends with the note, “Give back to those who’ve given everything.”
But the video, which did not air on TV, has been pulled amid complaints that it was “traumatizing children” by showing Santa as a hospital patient. While the British tabloid the Daily Mail called the ad “touching” and “heartwarming,” it also claimed it was “the stuff of nightmares for children.” Many conservative critics also accused the NHS of “scaremongering” and exaggerating the threat of COVID-19.
NHS Charities Together, which launched the ad and just announced Prince William and Kate Middleton as its joint patrons, has issued a statement responding to the criticism, saying “The Gift” was meant to “highlight the ongoing commitment and hard work of NHS staff and volunteers to keep us safe and well in what has been and continues to be a really challenging time for the NHS.” The statement also stressed that children were not its “intended audience,” but apologized for any upset caused.
You may have seen some criticism of our Christmas campaign ad – here’s a statement from the charity on that: https://t.co/9x6HDMB9rW pic.twitter.com/ZpJvtRAy27
— NHS Charities Together (@NHSCharities) December 12, 2020
“We are really grateful that through the support of our partners we were able to create a film to get that point across, and to encourage people to keep supporting NHS staff, patients and volunteers by generating donations to our appeal,” the statement said of its efforts to showcase the lifesaving work of NHS workers.
“When we launched the ad earlier in the week, we had an overwhelmingly positive response to it. Some subsequent media coverage of it has generated criticism of the ad on social media and some people have expressed their concern about it upsetting children. The ad has been made to engage charity supporters and those who may want to buy products that generate donations to the appeal. It isn’t aimed at children and hasn’t been shown on TV. The charity did not put any funds into the production of the ad.
“We worked closely with the team behind the ad to make sure it was produced responsibly and it was cleared for use by the relevant regulatory authority. However, we are sorry to the parents of any young children who have been upset by watching the ad and to the young children themselves, they were not the intended audience for it.”
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.
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