This year has been a little scarier than normal, one could say, and Halloween is no different. However, before you write off your spooky celebrations this year, read this piece by Zeynep from Year 7, in which she explains how you can stay safe and still have a 'happy halloween'!
NB: as well as reading this piece, please look into specific recommendations for your local area in order to ensure you are staying within COVID rules.
Trick or treating is undoubtedly the highlight of the spooky season for many, amongst Halloween specials on your favourite shows (Great British Bake Off, anyone?), pumpkin carving and putting up Halloween decorations. However, even scary movie lovers may have had a fright this past month, with talks of Halloween being cancelled!
Due to the new tier system introduced by the government, some Halloween traditions are no longer possible. But wait! Don’t break into the Trick or Treaters’ candy just yet. In this article I will explain why and how we can adjust and take precautions to make Halloween happen this year!
On 12 October, the Government announced the Tier system in anticipation of a second wave of coronavirus. If the local infection numbers increase, the area will be moved into a higher tier, in which more stringent safety measures will be introduced. London is currently in Tier 2, so (among other rules) only 6 people of different households can meet outdoors. For now, the government hasn’t banned trick or treating or deemed London Tier 3 (where trick or treating wouldn’t be possible)- Yay! Although this doesn’t mean we can do it same as always...
Imagine that you are going trick or treating. You manage to fight your way through the crowd surrounding the house to the front door. The person who answers the door offers you a huge bowl of sweets. After rummaging through, you grab a handful of candy and move on to the next house.
Any other year, this is a perfectly normal (if not lucky, considering the take-one rule!) scenario, but how does it fare under new coronavirus precautions?
Firstly, one of the more prominent problems with this scenario is social distancing. On Halloween night, there are plenty of different people from different households, trying to get treats from the same houses. Emergency Medicine Physicist Dr. Megan Ranney is taking her children trick or treating, as long as they wear masks and keep a safe distance from others (same with those giving them candy). For everyone who wishes to give out candy this year, why not incorporate safety measures that impose a two metre distance in your Halloween decorations for this year? A row of pumpkins with scary faces or some yellow and black caution tape 2m from your doorstep might do the trick!
Secondly, when so many children take candy from the same bowl, bacteria/germs from everyone’s hands accumulate and spread in the bowl and onto other people when they get candy! The Dean of Brown University School of Public Health is planning to give her son hand sanitiser to use before receiving treats from neighbours- I’m sure we’re all experts at this by now! For those who want to give out treats this year, I suggest wearing gloves when handling and buying the candy and giving out separate and wrapped items (eg mini Haribo packs, put apart). As well as this, you don’t want to come too close to the trick or treaters-perhaps toss the candy (gently) at their feet instead of passing it! Dr Amy Cho (Emergency Medicine Physicist) claims that her neighbour has made a long chute out of toilet paper roll in which they will slide candy down from their window!
MORE SUGGESTIONS FOR TRICK OR TREATERS:
- Before Halloween, make a plan with some friends or neighbours and create a planned route of houses that you are familiar with/trust. I am planning to do this myself!
- Wear a mask (if your costume doesn’t cover your face already!) in crowded areas.
- Get together with maybe 2 or 3 friends in your bubble (the rule of 6 states that you are allowed to meet up with different households outside) but keep your distance.
- Don’t take unwrapped candy
- Follow the G&L library protocol - don’t eat the candy for 72 hours (the time it takes for the virus to die).
MORE SUGGESTIONS FOR TRICK OR TREAT GIVERS:
- Create markers where trick or treaters should stand, so that people can social distance while coming to get candy
- Personally, I am going to give candy from my windowsill/balcony, which overlooks a small front garden where the trick or treaters can stand.
- Wear gloves when handling the treats
I hope this helped and that you have a Happy Halloween!
By Zeynep Tarman, 7FG
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