Saturday September 12, 2020 | SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND [Update October 2, 2020: BC CDC has issued COVID-safe Halloween guidelines]
by Mary P Brooke, editor | Island Social Trends
It’s mostly an outdoor activity — which falls within ‘outdoor is better than indoor’ during the pandemic. But trick-or-treating door to door during a pandemic is already getting a rethink during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parents and children are already wondering as to possibilities, as Halloween is an exciting fun event that plays a big part in the fall season calendar for many families.
But during COVID, people handing out treats at the doors of their homes — to a number of kids, teens and parents standing at their open doors — likely cannot be done with physical distancing.
Restylizing Halloween:
Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry said this week that “Halloween will happen this year but it will look different,” adding that everything looks (or is) different during the pandemic.
Dr Henry quickly tossed out one idea about treats being given out at the end of driveways, but added that some specific public health officer guidance will be issued in the days ahead.
For several years now, the trend has been for parents with young kids to attend large community events for Halloween, instead of walking door to door. That was mostly borne out of safety concerns over the years — not just walking on streets at night but also the unknown safety levels of even packaged snacks given out by strangers.
Reversing the trend to community Halloween events:
Community events have eclipsed the popularity door to door trick-or-treating in many neighbourhoods in the last decade. During COVID those sorts of mass gatherings will be impossible, but a revised flavour of walking around neighbourhoods might be revived.
Generally speaking, it is the neighbourhoods with homes closer together on streets with sidewalks and good lighting that have maintained popularity for trick-or-treating in the past 10 years or so on South Vancouver Island where weather is usually cooperative on October 31.
Perhaps schools will organize virtual Halloween events, as a safe variation on Halloween for October 31 in this COVID year 2020.
Almost certainly the trend for children to visit retail stores for free treats on the afternoon of Halloween will be something of the past this year during COVID. Retail stores may feel the hit with a diminished level of candy-bar and Halloween-treat sales this year.
Without adjustments such as these, the potential collision or intermixing of social bubbles (as would happen in a normal pre-COVID Halloween) might be uncontainable.
The new Halloween:
Some many may just opt for virtual costume parties online this year, while keeping social bubbles even smaller than before.
The even-smaller social bubble directive has already come from Dr Henry, relative to how in-class school bubbles have already expanded most families’ bubbles of social protection against COVID-19 spread.
Perhaps the creative art of pumpkin carving will be taken to a whole new level this year, with every house in every neighbourhood setting their best for display, so that families can tour along to see them while physically distancing from others (minus the candy handout factor) — similar to driving along in winter to view Christmas lighting displays.
Perhaps schools will organize virtual Halloween events, as a safe variation on Halloween for October 31 in this COVID year 2020.
A big shift for retail:
Almost certainly the trend for children to visit retail stores for free treats on the afternoon of Halloween will be something of the past this year during COVID.
Without adjustments such as these, the potential collision or intermixing of social bubbles (as would happen in a normal pre-COVID Halloween) might be uncontainable.
Retail stores may feel the hit with a diminished level of candy-bar and Halloween-treat sales this year.
Reader comments welcome:
We welcome your comments or ideas on ‘the new Halloween’, write to: news@islandsocialtrends.com .
