Trick or treating banned in lockdown areas

[Orangeblossom7777]

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/hallowe-en-divide-as-trick-or-treating-banned-in-coronavirus-hotspots-jqx2r56kn

"Children in lockdown areas should not go trick-or-treating this Hallowe’en, Downing Street has said.

Going from door to door would break rules against households mixing that are in place across most of the north of England as well as in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of Wales, No 10 suggested.

In other parts of the country parents face fines if children go trick-or-treating in groups of more than six, which potentially includes the person answering the door, officials said.

Boris Johnson’s deputy spokesman said it was “very clear that households should not mix” when asked about trick-or-treating.

The geographical differences in how children can enjoy Hallowe’en are the latest consequence of Mr Johnson’s strategy of containing the virus in hotspot areas to avoid tougher restrictions for the rest of the country."

Again a confusing and divisive message...

It's not difficult, just give trick or treating a miss for this year.

We’re not in a local lockdown area (in fact have very low cases) but everyone I’ve spoken to in the village has said they won’t be trick or treating this year. There’s talk of a pumpkin trail or something along those lines instead. Seems sensible.

It's no big deal if kids can't go trick or treating for one year. Just common sense tbh.

DD is too old for trick or treating now, but we love Halloween, and always decorate and get the local kids around. Won't be doing it this year, even though we aren't in a local lockdown area. It would just be stupid.

Not in the north or a lockdown area but won’t be trick or treating this year or answering the door on the night. Honestly I’m afraid I have to do a massive eye roll at people wringing their hands at children not being able to go trick or treating during a pandemic!

We're in County Durham..my dd will be gutted that she can't go but we'll think of other stuff to do. It's a shame because I think this will be the last year she will want to do it but can't be helped can it.

Is anyone actually planning on trick-or-treating this year? Sending our children round to multiple households and letting them all delve into a shared bucket to retrieve sweets that they will later consume doesn’t seem high in any of my acquaintances’ must-do pandemic activities.

Surely no-one is actually going to go trick or treating this year anyway? Are people having to be told not to?

I'm in local lockdown and my son was really upset when I told him no trick or treating. Yes it's no big deal but it is a big deal when you're 5 and already couldn't see anyone on your birthday this month. We are doing the pumpkin trail and Halloween bingo, plus some Halloween films etc. Will still be fun

Why does someone need to be told not to do trick or treating, surely it is common sense you don’t do it this year. I do despair on how stupid some people are in this country.

In the great scheme of things I think children not being able to go trick or treating is the least of our worries ,I'm in Bolton untill last week we had the highest rates of infection in the country ( although still high they are going down a bit) I won't be answering the door this year.

Restrictions and local lockdowns are irrelevant. It's daft for anyone to go trick or treating this year.

Only idiots would actually contemplate this. However I know first hand there are a lot of idiots in the north east who probably would still send their child trick or treating.

Restrictions and local lockdowns are irrelevant. It's daft for anyone to go trick or treating this year.

^This!! With bells on!

Halloween has always been a big deal in Ireland so we always did trick or treating as kids in early eighties. However there were often years when it was just raining too heavily so someone would host a party instead. Google traditional Irish Halloween games for ideas. We loved those years just as much as the trick or treating ones.

@Orangeblossom7777

Again a confusing and divisive message...

I’m no fan of Boris but I don’t see what’s confusing about this. It’s pretty obvious trick or treating should not happen in areas where households can’t mix.

We aren't going trick or treating and we are not in a lockdown area. Would be a silly thing to take part in tbh. I'm doing a Halloween teaparty with a big box of sweets for my kids, popcorn and a film and i won't be answering the door.

We will miss it but the hazard isn't worth it for us or the people giving out sweets

I can see why it needs to be spelt out and agree it’s not the best idea this year, but I also understand peoples disappointment, it’s another in a long line of small things that people look forward to just not happening.

The healthiest thing to do is not dwell on it and concentrate on what you can do with dc. I think round here there’s a lot of support for that idea that went round on Facebook; putting up pictures of pumpkins in the window instead of rainbows and take the kids round giving them your own sweet/treats for every one they spot. I think people are leaving them up all half term so it can be done at any time and there’s not lots of people all milling around at the same time.

I think he was very clear - no trick or treating at all in local lockdown areas and every where else, don't go in a group of more than 5 as the person opening the door would count as the 6th person in a gathering.
If he clearly said no trick or treating at all, people would try and interpret it as something else.

As others have said though, just give it a miss for one year. Halloween is a big deal where we live and my children love it more than Christmas but I've told them its not happening this year.

@Orangeblossom7777

Again a confusing and divisive message...

It's really not that confusing is it? If your area is in local lockdown then don't go at all, if your area isn't in local lockdown go if you must but in small groups.

I think sometimes when people say things are "confusing" they mean that they don't like what they're hearing. Which is fair enough, I often don't like what I'm hearing at the moment

The more I think about it, the more I’d be happy for it to go ahead. So much of what we normally do for fun is going to be impossible this winter, and children walking round the streets with their families, admiring the pumpkins, knocking on doors, leaving their buckets on the doorstep, standing back, waiting for an adult in a Joker mask to open the door, saying “BOO!!!”, waiting for adult to drop a small pack of sweets in the bucket, saying thank you, waiting for door to close, then collecting bucket, seems like completely harmless fun.
And apart from the putting bucket on doormat and stepping back it’s exactly what we’d do anyway (I never went for the rummaging in a bowl approach).

My village is organising an alternative. Children walk around looking for decorated houses and the parent gives them sweets in their bucket once they spot them. We are in a super locked down area. Seems a good compromise to me

Lucky lockdown areas!

It is obviously a no no this year everywhere surely?

Surely realistically this was pretty obviously going to be an issue this year?

We never do Halloween anyway but there are plenty of ways people can make things fun which don’t involve knocking on lots of doors. Just like it’s looking very likely we will all have to change plans for Christmas etc too

@Flaunch

Surely no-one is actually going to go trick or treating this year anyway? Are people having to be told not to?

Only the terminally stupid/Dominic Cummings/inconsiderate/dicks/people/other incompetencies are also available who think the rules don't apply to their precious snowflakes.