#The rich are dragging nannies to COVID hot spots for holidays

Instructed to accompany her employers to their favorite Colorado ski resort over the holidays, the nanny of an uber-rich Manhattan family assumed they were pulling her leg — at least initially.

“I honestly thought it was a joke,” she told The Post. “I mean, who on earth ignores all the warnings about the pandemic and travels with their domestic staff in tow?”

Turns out, they were dead serious. Now she’s packing her bags and those of her charges ahead of the planned trip to Vail. The brood will fly to the Rockies by private plane with other members of the entourage, including a personal chef.

“They are vacationing with some very high-profile friends,” said the nanny, who spoke on condition of anonymity after signing the customary non-disclosure agreement as part of her job contract. “They feel like they are above it all.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begged Americans not to venture far over Christmas and the New Year or to mix with other households. However, the risks associated with COVID-19 haven’t fazed the card-carrying members of the nation’s elite.

Instead, it’s “the help” who are concerned about the possible impact on their health, not to mention the forced separation from their own loved ones following a challenging year. A lucky few can turn down the work, but others are beholden to their boss, usually referred and deferred to as “the principal.”

The dilemma appears to be a common one. Upscale winter getaways like Colorado’s Aspen and Vail as well as Sun Valley, Idaho — one of the earliest hot spots of coronavirus cases in the spring — are largely booked up after deep-pocketed skiers bagged coveted spots on the slopes.

As the Manhattan nanny pointed out, only a limited number of “special tickets” were released in Vail this season because of social-distancing rules. Prices soared — and AmEx black cards swiftly swiped.

“It’s normal for rich people to travel over the holiday break,” she added. “And 2020 is no different for them. They assume they’ll be OK because they go private and adopt pseudo safety measures.

“But again, they don’t believe the mandates apply to them. We come back from these trips, and they have no interest in the required 14-day quarantine.

“It’s the staff who follow the protocol to get regular testing for COVID-19, not them.”

Another nanny, who also asked for her name to be withheld to protect her employment within an upper-class household, revealed that some of her colleagues are caught “between a rock and a hard place” this holiday season.

One had originally arranged to celebrate Christmas with her husband and kids. Then she learned, at the last minute, that she was expected to accompany her principal and his family to their ski chalet in Whitefish, Montana.

“She read that certain areas in Montana could be risky for COVID-19, so she is worried,” said the co-worker. “If she tells her employers she doesn’t want to go, she will probably lose her job.”

According to the Upper East Side’s Michelle Brown, who runs Nanny Talk, a support forum for fellow nannies, the reluctant staffer should immediately discuss her reservations with the head of the family.

“Everyone is on high alert and needs to know where they stand,” said Brown, noting that some savvy employees are renegotiating their contracts to include protections in case of a future pandemic.

“This nanny needs be 100 percent transparent with the parents, and it’s on her to speak up. But she has rights as a worker and there has to be mutual respect.”

New Yorker Beth Lehmann, who has adopted the title “the travel nanny,” agreed. “Communication is key,” said the expert, who drove her Manhattan-based employers to Boca Raton, Florida, last week. She will care for their 11-year-old daughter, Annabella, at the beach community until April.

“COVID-19 is rife in this state and a lot of people aren’t wearing masks,” added Lehmann. “But nobody forced me to work down here against my will. I would urge other nannies to research the places they are traveling to and use their best judgment to stay safe.”

Meanwhile, the nanny jetting to Vail this week has stern words for the gallivanting fat cats who drag wary staff along for the ride. She said: “They need to lose their sense of entitlement and be less selfish.”