Ontario health officials are recommending that children do not trick-or-treat door-to-door this Halloween for the regions currently in the modified Stage 2 as the coronavirus second wave remains in full swing.
As of Monday, Toronto, Ottawa, Peel and York regions are all in a modified Stage 2 due to high volumes of COVID-19 cases.
Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, made the recommendation on Monday while also providing safer alternatives families can choose to do instead.
Families are urged to have their children participate in virtual Halloween parties, a candy hunt in their own households, carve pumpkins, have a movie night and/or decorate their front lawns.
Williams also said families should check with their local public health units to see their recommendations.
For those living outside of the modified regions, those going trick-or-treating are asked to:
- Only go out with people living in their homes and stay outside.
- Trick-or-treaters should wear face coverings, and those handing out candy should also wear face masks. (Costume masks do not count and should also not be worn over a face mask because that could make breathing difficult)
- maintain physical distancing
- do not congregate or linger in doorways
- wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer
- hand out candy with tongs or something similar — do not leave bowls of candy out.
As of Monday, Ontario reported 704 new coronavirus cases, bringing the provincial total to 65,075.
- Naloxone-resistant street drug linked to 9 deaths in Eastern Canada seized in Alberta
- ‘She gets to be 10’: Ontario child’s heart donated to girl the same age
- Buzz kill? Gen Z less interested in coffee than older Canadians, survey shows
- Bird flu risk to humans an ‘enormous concern,’ WHO says. Here’s what to know
Comments