Monday September 28, 2020 | VICTORIA, BC
[Updated October 1, 2020 – Today Dr Henry says the guidelines for a number of social community celebrations will be released next week, including Thanksgiving, Halloween, Remembrance Day and Christmas. Today she confirmed the Island Social Trends analysis — see below — that retail visits for trick-or-treating won’t be happening this year, as well as no bonfires and community events, and no handouts at the door given multiple possible COVID exposures in such situations.] | UPDATE Oct 2: BC CDC has posted COVID-safe Halloween guidelines.
by Mary P Brooke, editor | Island Social Trends
Halloween will be different this year in Canada because of the need to be socially distanced during COVID-19. And it will be different again within BC.
Today Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry said that national guidelines for Halloween safety are being developed for all communities and families across Canada. Those guidelines will be “customized for BC” by she and her public health team, she said in response to a media question today from Island Social Trends.
Other than today recommending ‘single package’ handouts (instead of multiple hands digging around in bowls of treat options), details are yet to come.
The big news on how to celebrate Halloween safely this year during the pandemic “should be finished later this week”. With any luck, that will be on Thursday October 1, during Dr Henry’s next live media briefing.
Earlier this month, Dr Henry — who each time on this topic seems pleasantly amazed that people have such an interest in celebrating Halloween — said that ‘outdoor is better than indoor’ during the pandemic.
Halloween is an exciting fun event that plays a big part in the fall season calendar for many families. Parents and children are already wondering as to possibilities for a safe Halloween (a concept with all new context during a pandemic).
Restylizing Halloween:
Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry said back on September 12 that “Halloween will happen this year but it will look different,” adding that everything looks (or is) different during the pandemic.
Reversing the trend to community Halloween events:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
