KFL&A Public Health says children can still go trick-or-treating locally this Halloween amid the coronavirus pandemic, but asks those who go door-to-door take extra precautions.
This comes the same day as Dr. Kieran Moore, medical officer of health for the region, announced a change in the community status level of COVID-19 from yellow to green.
“The green community status level indicates that active positive cases are rare, no active outbreaks, local hospital capacity, quick case and contact follow-up, and full testing capacity,” a public health news release said Thursday.
As of Friday, there are six active cases of the region, all of which are related to travel, according to Moore.
“We feel very comfortable in KFLA that there’s limited community spread, and as a result of that, I think our community should benefit from the opportunity for trick-or-treating on Halloween,” Moore said in a press briefing Friday.
Earlier this week, Ontario health officials recommended that areas that had reverted back to Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan should not have children go trick-or-treating door-to-door, whereas those who remained in Stage 3 could still participate in traditional Halloween activities with added safety measures.
Despite this advice, nearby Hastings Prince Edward Public Health announced mid-week that their medical officer health, Dr. Piotr Oglaza, was advising against trick-or-treating, and asked parents to opt for alternatives this Halloween.
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- ‘Shock and disbelief’ after Manitoba school trustee’s Indigenous comments
- Several baby products have been recalled by Health Canada. Here’s the list
- ‘Sciatica was gone’: hospital performs robot-assisted spinal surgery in Canadian first
Moore said Friday that Halloween could still go ahead locally if people take extra precautions to keep themselves and children safe while they trick-or-treat. He added that that locals deserve to be rewarded for their hard work abiding by public health guidelines.
“It’s important that children still have some sense of normality. We know their lives have been changed. We notice when school was closed, we know their summer was different. And I think the children in our community deserve it,” Moore said.
KFL&A Public Health offered the following guidelines for a safe Halloween:
- avoid gatherings with people outside of your household
- stay home if you are feeling ill and do not hand out candy to trick-or-treaters
- only go out with members of your household
- do not go into homes to collect treats — stay outside
- both children trick-or-treating 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 touching high-touch surfaces and objects (e.g., doorbells, railings, etc.)
- 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 and consider using tongs or other similar tools to distribute treats
- drive safely — children may cross the street without checking for oncoming traffic.
Comments