The Medical Officer of Health for Hastings Prince Edward is “recommending that families skip traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating” this year, due to the pandemic.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Piotr Oglaza says “while each family can make their own decisions about how they choose to celebrate” he’s recommending you “consider something different this year”.
His suggestions include:
- A virtual costume contest with family and friends
- Walking or driving around your neighbourhood to see Halloween decorations
- Hunting for treats at home with your household members
- An online pumpkin carving contest
- A spooky Halloween dinner and monster dance with your household
- An online haunted house game with family and friends
- Sharing spooky stories over the phone or video chat
- A scavenger hunt in your home or on your property with your family
Oglaza says that since there’s been a slight rise in the local COVID-19 cases in the past few days the health unit “would like all residents to do what they can do reduce transmission in our region”.
HPE Public Health has also put out some tips for those who do decide to trick-or-treat next weekend, which include:
- Only go out with members of your household
- Only trick-or-treat outside
- Both trick-or-treaters and people handing out candy should wear a face covering. A costume mask is not a substitute for a face covering and should not be worn over a face covering, as it may make it difficult to breathe
- Do not congregate or linger at doorsteps and remember to line up two metres apart if waiting
- Avoid high-touch surfaces and objects
- Whether collecting or handing out treats, wash your hands often and thoroughly, or use hand sanitizer
- Do not leave treats in a bucket or bowl for children to grab, consider using tongs or other similar tools to hand out treats
No matter what you decide, Oglaza is asking everyone to “be respectful and understanding about decisions to opt out of Halloween” noting that “someone may be a Halloween fan, but it may not be safe for them to interact with trick-or-treaters this year”.
You can listen to an extended interview with Dr. Oglaza below read the full statement by clicking here.
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