Greenwich Offers Guidance On Safely Celebrating Halloween In Town

GREENWICH, CT — David Chass was very disappointed when it became clear trick-or-treating would be a high-risk activity this year due to the coronavirus.

As a father, Chass knows how much Halloween means to children. More importantly, he knows how disappointed kids in Greenwich would be if there was no safe way to celebrate their treasured spooky holiday this year.

"Of all the holidays, if you don't include the December ones, I think kids are looking forward to Halloween the most," Chass said. "Whether it's because of the candy, the costumes or just the overall experience, I think that's the crux of it."

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Chass serves as vice president of the Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company, many members of which are also familiar with the enthusiasm children have for Halloween.

"A lot of us have kids," Chass said, "and this would be a very tough year for kids without having the opportunity to trick-or-treat."

Their children are not alone, as many kids across the state will be celebrating Halloween very differently this year.

According to Center for Disease Control, a number of traditional Halloween activities can increase the risk of getting or spreading the coronavirus.

While the CDC offers tips for trick-or-treating safely, a number of communities in Connecticut have strongly advised against partaking in this annual tradition this weekend.

Last week, Stamford Mayor David Martin announced the city was recommending families not participate in any type of trick-or-treating activities with people outside their household. The decision, he said, was made with "support and guidance" from the city's public safety office and Director of Health Jennifer Calder, who noted there was "no truly safe way to participate in trick-or-treating."

During Thursday's Board of Selectmen meeting, First Selectman Fred Camillo said he had spoken with Martin briefly to compare notes about how, or even if, their communities would celebrate Halloween this year.

"We are going forward with it," Camillo said during the meeting, "but we are providing guidance."

Camillo said they were not planning to cancel Halloween in Greenwich this year, however they would be providing guidance and "constant reminders" of safety protocols that are in place for residents to follow.

"If, God forbid, there is to be a real big spike [in coronavirus cases], we will certainly revisit that," Camillo said. "We're monitoring it each day, but right now [Halloween] is still on."

Camillo later expanded on this stance in his weekly e-blast newsletter Friday, acknowledging some neighboring communities were discouraging trick-or-treat events and outdoor programs in response to spikes in coronavirus cases.

As of last week, 30 active cases of the virus were being tracked by the Greenwich Health Department, bringing the total number of residents diagnosed since the town began tracking cases to 1,070, an increase of 21 from the previous week.

As of Friday, Greenwich Hospital is treating four patients who had tested positive for the virus, Camillo said.

"I understand that many families want to provide a sense of normalcy for their children this Halloween," Camillo said. "It cannot be stressed strongly enough that families should avoid large gatherings and socializing with those who aren't family members."

The first selectman also noted there were a few community events planned to take place on Halloween "with public safety as the top priority."

One of these events will be a "safe but spooky" haunted Halloween trail presented by Chass and other members of the Round Hill fire company. The trail will be held Saturday at the volunteer company's fire house, located on Old Mill Road, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

According to Chass, the idea for the trail came from a desire to provide kids with a safe way to have fun Saturday while saving them the agony of waiting until next Halloween to celebrate.

"To any child out there," Chass said, "there's no such thing as next year. Next year is about a lifetime away."

He also noted kids eventually age out of celebrating Halloween, so this may be the last year some kids want to participate in these types of activities.

"If we can do something that's safe and lets kids feel the joy of the holiday," Chass said, "then there's no reason that we should not do it."

During the event, children from across town are invited to wear a costume, travel through the haunted trail and collect Halloween treats.

The company consulted with both the town and state health departments on the trail and received approval from both agencies to ensure all appropriate health and safety precautions are taken.

"The last thing we want is to go out and put on an event that the town [and state] was going to be concerned about," Chass said.

Anyone who attends the event must wear "a COVID-19 mask," and social distancing protocols must be observed both on the property and along the trail. The one-way trail will take place outside and be monitored by members of the fire company.

Candy bags will be pre-packaged by fire company members wearing masks and gloves.

According to Sharon Strain, the fire company's assistant chief, the trail will be broken up into various sections.

"Kids and adults alike will enjoy walking through the haunted trail," Strain said, "and being able to experience, from a safe distance, a spooky pumpkin patch, a ghostly cemetery, some wicked witches, scary skeletons and scarecrows."

At each section, kids will be able to "trick-or-treat" for goodies and ultimately exit the trail with a bag of treats. Further information about the trail can be found here.

"I think any set of parents and kids are looking forward to Halloween," Chass said, "and everyone's got their own traditions of what they do...We're hoping that not only people from the backcountry, but from all over town, will come and see what we're doing and create a great opportunity to have fun."

Other safe Halloween activities Camillo recommended were a community-wide scavenger hunt hosted by Kids In Crisis and a spooky family scavenger hunt hosted by the Bruce Museum.

The town's parks and recreation department is currently hosting a virtual pumpkin decorating contest, submissions for which will be accepted until Nov. 6. Recreation Supervisor Patricia Troiano said she was unaware of any other Halloween or fall events being offered by the department due to safety concerns.

Greenwich police also weighed in on the conversation Monday, imploring residents through their Facebook page to "plan alternate ways to participate in Halloween" this year.

"Whatever you and your family decide, please remember during trick-or-treating to always wear a cloth mask, indoors and outdoors, stay at least 6 feet away from others who do not live with you, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently," police said on Facebook. "We will be out as usual on Halloween night, serving the community."