The spooky season is officially upon us and in a year where fear and anxiety have become everyday emotions, Halloween is a chance to have some COVID-safe fun on the border.
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The much loved, and equally derived, occasion falls on both a Saturday and full moon this year.
Both NSW Health and Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services have released guidelines to ensure residents have a COVID-safe Halloween this year. Restrictions differ on each side of the border.
In Victoria, face masks must be worn outside the house and DHHS has clarified character masks do not count.
"Wear a face mask with your costume, but remember that a costume mask that is part of your Halloween costume is not a substitute for a face mask," the advice said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
In both Victorian and NSW trick-or-treaters are advised to stay 1.5 metres away from people they do not live with, and avoid hugs and kisses as greetings.
Residents with any symptoms of COVID-19 have been asked to stay home and get tested.
People who are self-isolating or symptomatic should not answer the door to trick-or-treaters.
People giving out treats to trick-or-treaters should not use communal bowls and all items should be individuals wrapped.
Door-to-door trick-or-treating is prohibited in Victoria and heavily advised against in NSW, but going yard-to-yard in a local area is okay.
See the full guidelines for each state below.
Victoria
This Halloween there are some actions you can take to keep your friends, family and community safe, while still enjoying yourself.
- If you have any symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) get tested and stay at home. By staying at home this Halloween, you help to keep your friends, family and community safe.
- Wear a face mask with your costume, but remember that a costume mask that is part of your Halloween costume is not a substitute for a face mask. Consider making your own mask and decorating it.
- Keep at least 1.5 metres between yourself and people you don't live with. This means no hugging or kissing when greeting people. Don't share food or drinks.
Handing out lollies or candy
Coronavirus is still with us and celebrating at home is the safest way to mark Halloween this year. If you do trick or treat, you need to stay safe. It is safer not to hand out lollies or candy to trick-or-treaters this Halloween. This is because the virus can spread on surfaces, including food or packaging.
Under current restrictions traditional trick or treating where you knock on someone's door is not permitted. If you can't resist handing out lollies this year you can do so by having candy available outside of your home.
- Don't use communal bowls for lollies or candy. Putting lollies in a shared bowl will mean everyone is touching the same food and surfaces which isn't safe.
- Instead, put individually wrapped lollies or candy in bags for non-contact collection.
- Place bags on your fence, at your front gate or outside your home for collection.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before preparing the bags or individually wrapped lollies or candy.
Alternatives to trick-or-treating
- Have a Halloween party outside in a public place. You can catch up with a group of up to ten people (including yourself). Babies under 12 months age aren't included in the ten-person limit. An outdoor public place means an area accessible to everyone, including local parks and beaches.
- Do a Halloween scavenger hunt by giving children a list of Halloween-themed things to look for as they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance. Just like eye-spy! The limit of ten people (including yourself) applies to scavenger hunts.
- Carve or decorate pumpkins with members of your household.
- Decorate your house.
- Have a virtual costume party or party with friends and family on video chat.
- Have a Halloween movie night with your household.
- Create an around the house trick or treat or scavenger hunt for your household
NSW
NSW Health supports individuals participating in COVID-safe Halloween celebrations, providing levels of community transmission remain low and participants follow current rules when gathering together. Help us stop the spread this Halloween and always remember to:
- Keep 1.5 metres apart
- Practise good hand hygiene
- Stay home and get tested immediately if unwell
- Wear a face mask if unable to physically distance
If you plan to hand out treats
NSW Health recommends:
- If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 over Halloween, stay home, don't receive Halloween visitors and get tested immediately
- If you are self-isolating, don't answer the door to trick-or-treaters
- Make it a front-yard event, not at the front-door of your house. Keep your celebrations outdoors and get creative in decorating the front yard
- Only hand out individually wrapped treats
- Don't use communal lolly bowls. Consider other ways of distributing treats such as hanging them individually on your fence, front gate or up your driveway
- Offer hand sanitiser at your front gate or fence
- You may wish to avoid people knocking on your door by putting up a sign that says "We are home but due to COVID-19, we are distancing. Please take one, Happy Halloween"
- Remember, you can only have 20 people on your property at one time.
If you plan to trick-or-treat
NSW Health recommends:
- If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 this Halloween, stay home and give trick-or-treating a miss this year. Get tested immediately
- Keep it local by staying in your suburb rather than going to well-known "treat streets" that attract crowds
- Celebrate outside, don't go to people's front door
- Stay in small household groups (for example a supervising adult and children from the same household) rather than groups of young people together. Remember, no more than 30 people can gather outside in a public place
- Stay 1.5 meters away from people you don't live with
- Only take treats that are individually wrapped
- Use a disposable bag to collect your treats, and dispose of it appropriately afterwards
- Don't share your treats with others from different households
- Don't share costumes or costume face masks
- Carry hand sanitiser with you and use it often, especially after touching common surfaces.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
