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."

Thank goodness.

My children used to love Halloween and I loathed it (still do)

One of the worst of the American imports.

Glad to hear we'll all have a break from it this year.

We're not in a local lockdown area but have decided against trick-or-treating and decorating the front window. We're going to have our own little party (of 3!) with all the decorations in the lounge, lots of sweets and Halloween movies! 👻 🎃 🧙‍♀️

To be honest I’m one of those weird people who thinks trick or treating (encouraging kids to knock in random’s doors asking for sweets or ‘a trick’?🤷🏼‍♀️) is totally weird. Why don’t you carve some pumpkins/ make some toffee apples/do some games at home/ watch a scary or Halloween themed film/ anything rather than disturb/encourage ringing randoms’ doorbells and giving an excuse to those who want it to behave in an antisocial way!.....wonder if there’s a Scrouge equivalent for Halloween😆🤣

Not really confusing is it, no mixing of households which obviously means no trick or treating. Did it really need to be said?

We won’t be answering the door this year as don’t want the risk but surely most people won’t even contemplate going anyway.

Orangeblossom7777 where we used to live many older kids (without accompanying adults) used to try every house whether there were decorations/pumpkins or not. If they could see you were in but didn’t answer the door some would throw eggs at your windows. And this was in a very kid centric naiiice area. We now live very rurally so thank God don’t have to deal with it🎉

Do you seriously find that advice confusing or do you just disagree with it?

Why on earth would anyone be expecting it to go ahead?
For once, there's nothing remotely confusing about the message. Just a bit beggars belief there was the need to say it.

I think it is confusing, seems to be giving permission in non lockdown areas but saying have to stay in groups of 6...

but in practice how do you know how many are in the house being visited? I guess it means in the group visiting (so say one adult and 5 children) which is how people would interpret it?

I was just sharing it for information really.

Not an American import. A Scottish and Irish export. I wish peolle would stop saying its American.

I think it's right to have restrictions around it since on a population level it probably does increase spread.

But, we will still decorate for the pumpkin trail and if anyone does choose to knock will have sweets for them. I'll be due a few weeks later so am being fairly cautious in general but honestly don't see much risk with children knocking and standing back, will simply disinfect door later.

Will take DD out for pumpkin trail and probably not trick or treat although if others on our road are knocking and we discuss it first we may go to some friendly neighbours and knock at a couple of doors.

If we are in local lockdown we will not go.

Definitely not trick or treating as normal this year and I'm not decorating the outside of the house. We will be doing our own little road but only with the neighbours whose children are in my DC's bubble at school - 5 of them live in our road so seems minimal risk. We'll also drive over to the grandparents in their costumes too.

Trying to make the best of it, as I've been too ill with Long Covid to celebrate Easter, my DC's birthdays and the whole of summer, so I want to do something for Halloween. Just doing it safely with people within our bubbles and social distancing.

Not in a lockdown area but we arent going trick or treating or opening the door to trick or treaters but honestly what is confusing about that?

If in local lockdown area you arent allowed to trick or treat

If your not in a local lockdown area you can but only in groups of 6 but really its not advised.

Nothing confusing in that

We won't go trick or treating this year, so I have booked to go to an event in a group of 5 instead. On Halloween evening itself we will do sweets and a film night. Not all is lost, and hopefully we can go back to normal next year.

I think if we have to give this a miss this year it won't be the end of the world,

My kids love treat or treating but this year we will do something else (scary films, Apple bobbing, maybe a treasure hunt etc) and I'll supply them with chocolate.
It will be fine.

We're in a local lockdown area and I'm glad this message has gone out, we weren't going to go anyway but we get 100+ callers here, it's crazy.. and giving the sweets out is actually my kids favourite part (they're only little) so hopefully this will stop too many knocking and having to explain to DC why we're ignoring them.. Might do a little sign for the door.

Households are hardly 'mixing' at a brief doorstep visit though! Honestly these rules are starting to sound very arbitrary.

Shame it’s not the whole country, hopefully by then it will be.

Good. It's just glorified begging 😆

I can’t believe that people need telling that knocking at strangers houses and taking sweets is a bad idea
Covid lives on surfaces

Not in a lockdown area, but will be trick or treating, we're planning on only visiting the houses of children in my dcs class bubbles anyway, will put a big bowl of sweets out for children to help themselves from.

I think children have missed out on too much fun this year. As long as pubs and restaurants are open (even with a 10pm curfew), trick or treat is fine.

We won't be doing it in an abundance of caution. Instead houses will put out carved, lit pumpkins and children will be able to get a sweet from their parents for every one they see.

However, if people put out tubs of sweets for children to help themselves from, that is DEFINITELY lower risk than all those kids sitting together with 29 other children in a poorly ventilated space for 6 hours a day breathing in each others respiratory droplets and aerosols.

Coronavirus mostly spreads via the respiratory route. Spreading by touch has never been proven, and is thought to be relatively insignificant. Also, easily got around.... parents could get the children to choose sweets, pick them up themselves (gloved maybe) put in a separate bag and not let them have anything from that bag for 2 days (obviously you'd have to provide your own sweets for the night).

Even with people opening doors etc it would be much lower risk than schools open as they are - with no money from the government.

So, if people want to go ahead when the government is forcing them to send their kids back to school with literally no money to try and reduce risk from covid. I wouldn't blame them .

I can’t understand why anyone needs to be told that trick or treating shouldn’t take place this year...use your common sense! If everyone was a bit more sensible in their interactions with others, including not trick or treating we’ll get over this a lot faster!

There are other ways to celebrate Halloween - we are putting together a family Halloween hamper for our kids, Halloween pj’s instead of a costume, spooky movie and lots of Halloween sweets/treats. Our local area have also agreed to put pumpkins outside or in windows for the kids to go on a pumpkin trail during half term week.

I thought trick or treating was a no go everywhere this year...not just in lockdown areas. We won't be doing it.