Wouldn't this have just been a good time to say that he wears a mask, instead? He's supposed to put everything under the tree when no one's around anyways, so he's practicing physical distancing and would also be wearing a mask. Maybe that's a lot of thought for something like this but I'd also imagine that they'd be willing to do that if they're willing to make a statement.
As nice as it would be to use the opportunity to spread awareness, the subtext "Santa could possibly spread COVID-19 if he weren't masked" is probably best avoided. It just opens up a can of worms.
I hope that there aren't any mall santas this year, and if they must, I hope they wear masks. The inconsistency wouldn't be great, but it's better than almost-certainly infecting a bunch of elderly men.
The man has enough energy to distribute presents on a globe wide basis in 24 hours. You may not want to admit it, but Santa Claus is the ideal male specimen.