The City’s Board of Health and City Manager Tom Ambrosino said this week they are discouraging parents and children from celebrating Halloween or Day of the Dead by trick or treating.
The Board of Health issued a resolution late last week advising residents not to trick-or-treat, and Ambrosino said this week he backs that up.
“We are strongly discouraging typical day to day trick or treating at stranger’s doors,” he said. “It’s high-risk according to the CDC. The Board of Health is discouraging it and we are discouraging it. I’m not going to arrest 10-year-olds for trick or treating, but we are strongly discouraging it.”
The Board of Health resolution referred to the Governor’s State of Emergency on COVID-19 to issue its resolution. The Board said it has found that traditional activities for Halloween or Day of the Dead can be high-risk for spreading COVID-19, or for being exposed to someone that might have COVID-19.
“Some Halloween and Dia De los Muertos activities are higher risk than others and the best way to avoid becoming infected is to avoid being exposed to the virus altogether,” it read. “This is particularly important for people at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. This may mean choosing not to participate in Halloween activities during the pandemic. It is hereby ordered that door-to-door trick or treating, large gatherings and other traditional events for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos are strongly discouraged and safer alternatives should be considered.”
Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31, and Day of the Dead is typically afterward.