Keep covid-19 safe this halloween
We know that many families across Hackney enjoy the tradition of going out trick or treating on Halloween, but it's important your safety comes first this year.
There are other ways you can celebrate Halloween:
- watch a spooky film
- carve pumpkins at home
- trick or treat in your house by knocking on different internal doors in your own home where you can leave treats for your children or try a Halloween version of an Easter egg hunt
Coronavirus is a highly contagious disease, and cases are high in Hackney. Although government Tier 2 restrictions allow for limited trick or treating, the nature of the activity, going house to house with many children handling the same bowl of sweets, means it could help spread the infection. Coupled with the fact some people will be self isolating due to infection and must not answer the door, or are at a health risk and so should avoid answering the door, I would recommend against trick or treating this year. Keep your family and community safe this Halloween and try indoor activities, like watching a film with your household, or traditional Halloween activities, such as bobbing for apples, to boost your 5-a-day, telling each other stories, or pumpkin carving.
If you decide to go trick or treating, please make sure you only visit households that you know are participating, so you don't add further risk to yourselves or anybody who is shielding or self-isolating.
Remember, you can mix outdoors in groups of no more than six and you should still be keeping two metres from anyone you do not live with. Don't mix indoors with anyone outside your household bubble.
Make sure to wear a face covering on public transport and in public indoor settings and practice good hand hygiene at all times by regularly using hand sanitizer or washing your hands for 20 seconds.
If you do not want trick or treaters knocking this year, why not download and print the window poster so families know not to visit?
