Brookline Discourages Trick-Or-Treating, Citing Coronavirus

BROOKLINE, MA — It appears traditional Halloween is not going to happen in Brookline this year.

Town officials on Tuesday said they were encouraging residents not to trick-or-treat this Halloween because of the risk of spreading coronavirus. Springfield and Lawrence, and Worcester have made similar requests of citizens. And just last week a popular Brookline Village neighborhood announced itself that it had decided to skip the holiday this year in light of the pandemic.

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"Door to door trick-or-treating is contradictory to the efforts we've all made throughout this pandemic, so I want to encourage everyone to consider safer alternatives," Brookline Health Commissioner Swanni Jett said. "We have done tremendous work as a community to keep our overall COVID-19 risk low to this point, and we want to ensure we're doing everything we can by taking reasonable precautions while still celebrating Halloween."

As of Tuesday, 506 people in Brookline have tested for the coronavirus . Of those, 64 have died, according to town data. While the state's risk level for Brookline remains low, in neighboring Boston the level is high, and just Wednesday the mayor said Boston Public Schools is pausing its reopening plan amid a coronavirus spike in the city.

With that backdrop, town officials said the traditional practice of going door to door shouting "trick or treat" and having a home owner hand them candy is too risky.

"I think it's pretty obvious that's not a safe practice," Town Administrator Mel Kleckner said Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control has issued guidance steering people from the door to door tradition in favor of house decorating contests and pumpkin carving.

"We believe it is appropriate to prohibit the actual traditional Trick or Treating — going up to the doors and interacting with residents in that manner," said Kleckner.

And that extends to the road closures on popular streets for the candy-goers, he said.

"We're not going to allow the block parties and the street closings this year," said Kleckner, citing CDC guidance against such block parties.

"We can still have Halloween and have some fun without going door to door or these large scale street parties," said Kleckner.

Halloween activities that are considered high-risk by the Centers for Disease Control, and from which Brookline is asking residents to refrain:

• Traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door.
• Trick-or-treating at houses where individuals are not wearing a face covering and where 6 feet of physical distance is not maintained between people.
• Trunk-or-treating where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots.
• Events that involve large gatherings, such as crowded costume parties held indoors and any events where at least 6 feet of distancing is difficult to maintain.
• Indoor haunted houses where people may be crowded together and screaming.

Activities that are considered low-risk by the CDC:

• Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
• Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
• Decorating your house, apartment, or living space and having a virtual contest with neighbors
• Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
• Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
• Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
• Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house

For those who are planning to participate in Halloween events, officials urge people to wash their hands before and during trick-or-treating or handing out candy.

The CDC is reminding trick-or-treaters to wear face coverings that fit right and protect against inhaling respiratory droplets from other people, and recommend a cloth mask that doesn't leave gaps around your face.

"We're hoping that people will comply," said Kleckner. "We're asking people not to turn the lights on or do anything that would encourage people to come up to the door and expect that they would receive candy or some other treat."