The Health Unit recommends rethinking the usual door-to-door trick-or-treating this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
They encourage creative ways to celebrate at home.
TRICK-OR-TREATING:
However, if you do decide to do a little trick-or-treating this year………….
- Individually wrap goodie bags and leave them out on a table or chair at the end of your walk or driveway.
- Don’t go trick-or-treating if feeling ill, even if symptoms are minor
- Choose costumes that allow a non-medical mask to be worn underneath – make sure you can see and breathe comfortably
- Minimize contact with others: trick-or-treat with your family or cohort, remain within your community, and stay 2 metres apart
- Avoid touching doorbells or railings: call “trick or treat” from 2 metres away, knock instead of using doorbells, use hand sanitizer after touching surfaces
- Wash hands and disinfect packages before eating candy
HANDING OUT CANDY:
- Don’t hand out candy if feeling ill or isolating
- Wear a non-medical mask that fully covers your nose and mouth
- Ask trick-or-treaters to knock or call out instead of ringing the doorbell
- Use tongs to hand out pre-packaged candy to avoid handling treats
Find creative ways to maintain distance from trick-or-treaters:
- Hand out treats from your driveway or front lawn, if weather permits
- Set up a table or desk to help keep yourself distanced
- Make candy bags and space them out on a table or blanket; don’t leave out self-serve bowls of bulk candy
- Build a candy slide, candy catapult or other fun, non-touch delivery methods
HALLOWE’EN GET TOGETHERS:
- Stay home if feeling ill, even if symptoms are mild
- Spend time with people you know – the smaller the group the better
- Choose games and activities that don’t use shared items and allows people to stay 2 metres apart
- Don’t share drinks, food, cigarettes, vapes or cannabis
- Host your party outdoors, if weather permits. If you must stay indoors:
- reduce your gathering size (max is ten people indoors; 25 outdoors)
- choose a location that allows for physical distancing between people from separate families and cohorts
- provide hand sanitizer
- Wash or sanitize your hands often
