Sackville kids are headed for another COVID-19 Halloween this Sunday night, and the jury’s still out on exactly what that will mean.
The province released its guidelines over the weekend, asking that kids in circuit breaker areas wear a mask (not the scary kind) and follow the one household rule when going outside trick-or-treating.
For the rest of the province, the guidelines ask that kids stay in their household-plus-20 bubbles while collecting candy and showing off their costumes.
Sackville’s circuit-breaker status was extended last week until this Friday, and so the specific guidelines for Sackville kids will depend on whether the province extends it again later this week.
THEN AND NOW
The rules around Halloween are slightly more strict in 2021 than they were last year at this time, particularly for circuit breaker areas. Back then, Zone 1 was just coming out of an orange phase of tighter restrictions, due to a surge in cases which now seems enviable in size. At the end of October 2020, active case counts province-wide were in the mid-thirties, and there had been just under 350 cases to date.
But in the fall of 2021, the numbers are on a different scale. In mid-October this year, active cases peaked at 1103 province-wide, with Zone 1 peaking at 396 active cases. Thankfully both those numbers have dropped steadily in the past two weeks. On Tuesday there were 589 active cases provincially, and 226 active cases in Zone 1.
The total case count is nearly 18 times what it was a year ago, with 6163 cases to date in the pandemic. About 3800 of those were infected since the province lifted its mandatory order on July 31. And about 2500 have been infected since a mandatory order was reinstated on September 25.
Of course, it’s not just case counts that are different for Halloween 2021. There’s also vaccination rates. In October 2020, no-one was vaccinated, and we had little idea when we would be. These days, over 73% of the population has had two doses of a vaccine. For people in their 40’s and up, that number is over 80%, and for those in their 60’s and up, it’s over 90%. But due to eligibility, kids under 12 are still all completely unvaccinated.
THE RULES THIS TIME AROUND
All that’s to say, the situation for 2021 is vastly different than it was for 2020. But the basics–mask wearing, distancing, hand-washing–are still the same.
Here’s the provincial advice for Halloween enthusiasts in 2021:
(Link to PDF of guidelines here.)
FOR TRICK-OR-TREATERS
- stick to one neighbourhood and keep track of where you go
- download and activate the COVID alert app, if you have a compatible cell phone
- wash hands before leaving and upon return, and before eating treats en route
- remain in household-plus-20 bubbles while trick-or-treating
- only participate if you are COVID-19 symptom-free
- CIRCUIT BREAKER ONLY: remain in household bubble only while trick or treating, and wear a community face mask
FOR GIVERS OF TREATS (OR TRICKS)
- do not offer homemade treats
- provide treats through “touchless” means… so either an elaborate candy chute (see below), a bowl on your porch, or by asking trick or treaters to leave their bags on your porch, and adding treats yourself.
- make an effort to frequently disinfect high touch areas such as doorbells, door handles, etc.
- if you or someone in your household is in a high risk group, simply sit this one out, perhaps with a sign saying letting people know.
- businesses or groups hosting indoor events must require masks for all and proof of vaccinations for anyone 12 and older.
- CIRCUIT BREAKER ONLY: no indoor Halloween parties
Some people had fund with socially distanced Halloween in 2020:
