As with many other things this year, Halloween 🎃 will look different.
Below we share the Province Of New Brunswick Guidelines and offer ideas to make Halloween special in your community.
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Guidelines from the Government Of New Brunswick.
Follow usual Halloween safety guidelines to ensure you and your child are safe while going door-to door. Please note that this advice warns against wearing a costume mask, however anyone participating in Halloween outside of their home is advised to wear a community face mask unless exempt.
- An adult should be present to supervise children who go out trick-or-treating.
- If older children must go out without an adult, plan in advance the specific route they will follow and by what time they must return.
FOR YELLOW ZONES
• Informal indoor and outdoor celebrations are permitted with a maximum of 50 people, and you are advised to keep a list
of participants.
• Any businesses, organizations or groups that plan events, such as malls, are required to have an operational plan for any Halloween activities, must keep a list of participants, and physical distancing must be ensured.
• Door-to-door trick-or-treating is permitted if Public Health Advice is followed.
• If children in your household go door-to-door, they should avoid contact with anyone in your family and friend bubble
who is at higher risk for several days following Halloween.
FOR ORANGE ZONES
• Halloween can be celebrated with family and friends within your two household bubble, plus formal or informal caregivers and members of immediate family (parents, children, siblings and grand-parents).
• Door-to-door collecting and giving out of treats is not permitted.
• You may participate or organize outdoor Halloween events with a maximum of 10 people, but Public Health advice must be followed. This includes ensuring distancing and keeping a record of participants is encouraged.
General Safety
Please note that this advice warns against wearing a costume mask, however anyone participating in Halloween outside of their home is advised to wear a community face mask unless exempt;
• An adult should be present to supervise children who go out trick-or-treating.
• If older children must go out without an adult, plan in advance the specific route they will follow and what time they must
return by.
• Try to limit trick-or-treating to one neighbourhood only and keep track of where you go. The COVID Alert app is now
available.
• If providing treats:
» Wash or sanitize your hands before touching treats.
» Do not offer home-made treats.
» Do not permit children to take candy from a bowl of treats unless the treats are arranged so that children won’t come
in contact with other treats when they grab theirs. Doing up individual treat bags is a good option.
» Consider offering non-food treats such as stickers, small toys, colourful pencils, note books or erasers, colouring books, activity passes, or books. Non-food treats are a healthier option than candy any time of year.
» Make an effort to frequently disinfect any high touch areas, such as hand rails, doorbells or door knobs.
• If you or someone in your home is in a higher risk group, you may choose to put a sign on your door such as “Have a Happy
and Safe Halloween: No Visitors Please.”
• Children must wash their hands before they leave their home and when they arrive home at the end of the night. Children
must also wash their hands prior to eating any treats. Parents should ensure they have hand sanitizer with them to wash
their child’s hands if they become soiled.
• Consider organizing an event in your neighbourhood that allows people to stand in their driveways or on their porch to
watch children walk by in their costumes. Those in the costume parade must maintain distance from other families and
should also wear a community face mask.
• Activities such as haunted houses are permitted, as long as they follow the same Public Health advice, including distancing, that is required of other gatherings.
• Don’t include any activities that pose a high risk for transmission (e.g. bobbing for apples, decorating cookies).
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Ideas and alternatives to traditional Trick or Treating.
Scavenger hunt: Make a list of Halloween decorations (pumpkins,ghosts, spider’s web, etc.) and take tour kids for a drive to find them around the neighborhood.
Have A Movie night: If you are staying home with your family or bubble, then plan to watch a Halloween movie. Serve themed snacks and get dressed up in costumes.
Drive around and look at the Halloween decorations: In Greater Moncton there are more and more Halloween displays each year. Here is a list we have put together with photos from previous years.
Watch for more Halloween ideas coming soon!