The local Public Protection Partnership is urging parents to change their family Halloween routine this year.
They say:
As with many things this year our usual Halloween traditions will need to be rethought in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are advising families to rethink the tradition of ‘trick and treat’ where you’d normally be knocking on doors and receiving a treat of sweets or similar on Halloween. Instead perhaps get involved in many of the local ‘pumpkin’ trails where you go out as a family (all dressed up to scare) and look out for houses with Halloween decorations and pumpkins. Each time you see a pumpkin, you give your own child a treat from the supply you’ve taken along. That way your child still has all the fun and treats associated with Halloween, whilst remaining safe and protecting others.
During the current COVID pandemic it’s not advisable to be knocking on multiple doors, and taking treats from bowls that many little hands have already touched. This is for the benefit of not only you and your family but the members of the households you might normally have called upon.
Equally you might want to create a Halloween themed family scavenger hunt in your own home or garden.
If you are out and about, or planning activities at home, please remember the rule of 6 and not to gather in groups of more than 6 people (including children). Also remember social distancing on a night which might be busier than normal on the pavements.
Halloween during the COVID-19 pandemic is one that’s likely not to be forgotten. So get creative in how you celebrate with your children in a way that protects both your family and others.
