COVID-19 pandemic - Prime Minister François Legault unveils the instructions to follow so that our little monsters can safely celebrate Halloween
The Premier of Quebec, François Legault, the Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, and the National Director of Public Health, Dr. Horacio Arruda, today announced that our little monsters across Quebec will be able to celebrate Halloween, on October 31, but in a different way from previous years due to the current pandemic.
On the recommendation of Public Health, house-to-house candy collection activities will be authorized, provided certain instructions are followed to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
Mr. Legault mentioned three conditions:
- Children - and their parents, for the youngest - should travel only in the company of members of their household;
- As far as possible, children should collect the candies and sweets placed in a place 2 meters from the occupants of the house visited;
- Under no circumstances should children enter houses.
These three conditions are the main ones, but others will need to be followed when collecting. Note that:
- people who show symptoms of COVID-19 or who are in isolation should not participate;
- the candy collection circuit must be limited to the neighborhood surrounding the participants' homes. Municipalities are invited to ensure the fluidity of traffic on sidewalks, for example by indicating the direction of traffic;
- people must always respect the distance of 2 meters from each others, wear a face cover and refrain from singing or shouting in front of people to whom they are going;
- hand washing is recommended before departure and upon return home.
No "party" or private gathering will be tolerated
The Prime Minister was adamant: there is no question of having "parties" or private Halloween gatherings. This year, Halloween is for kids who go door to door.
Dr Horacio Arruda said the risks associated with Halloween are considered low, due to the fact that children are walking around outdoors for a relatively short period of time, ranging from one to three hours. It should be noted that the most important risk regarding Halloween remains the adult version of this celebration for adults, in the context where it is often synonym of private gatherings and involves the consumption of alcohol.
Dr Arruda rewards people that gatherings are already subject to a ban in regions at the maximum alert level (red), while they must be limited to 6 people in regions at the orange alert level and to 10 people in early warning regions (yellow).