Message To Salem Halloween Visitors: Maybe Wait Until Next Year

SALEM, MA — If you have not already booked your trip to Salem this Halloween season, city officials have a suggestion for you: Wait until 2021.

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll released that advisory on Tuesday after museums, restaurants and attractions sold out or reached capacity early this past weekend and police closed roadways and walkways to keep people moving and promote social distancing amid the coronavirus health crisis.

"Ordinarily, there is no better place to celebrate Haunted Happenings and Halloween than in Salem," Driscoll said. "While we normally welcome visitors from around the globe to our city each fall, this is not a normal October. We want to support our many businesses, but our first priority is keeping residents, employees and visitors healthy and safe. Visitors can do their part by planning ahead and following all COVID-19 protocols and health orders.

"If you have not secured lodging or booked tickets in advance for your stay, you may want to consider saving your visit till 2021, when we hope to be recovered from this pandemic and able to enjoy our full array of unique activities and events."

The Salem Board of Health decided last week to keep the city in step one of phase 3 of the state's reopening — which keeps restaurant table party limits at six and public gathering limits at 25 — until at least Nov. 5 due to concerns about indoor overcrowding and a potential spike in cases.

"She has a very particular set of circumstances, which is called Halloween," Gov. Charlie Baker said at a news conference held alongside Driscoll in Salem Tuesday to promote the city's pair of Shared Streets grants. "She's playing a very different hand than some others are playing and I don't blame her for not going forward."

Salem police asked for Massachusetts State Police Airwing Unit assistance in crowd monitoring this weekend. Salem Acting Police Chief Dennis King said that having tens of thousands of people coming into the city on Halloween or one of the weekend days around it "is something we can't handle this year (amid the pandemic)."

Salem rules also limit the length of waiting lines in the public way. Lines longer than five parties, spaced 6 feet apart, are not permitted and will be dispersed by health inspectors or police. Violations of gathering orders, including allowing long lines, may lead to citations of up to $300 per incident.

As for trick-or-treating in the city, Driscoll said the Board of Health will develop guidelines for how residents should conduct it should they want to participate in the tradition.

"You're in a city where we're purists," Driscoll said at the news conference. "Folks are probably going to go out."

Baker said the decision on whether to allow trick-or-treating will be left up to individual communities and that he would rather have children trick-or-treat in small groups than come together at indoor parties.

Driscoll added that there will likely be no citywide mandates on trick-or-treating and that it will come down to a "family decision" whether to go.

"If residents don't feel comfortable having people come (to their houses) there are things you can do like turning off lights and thing like that (to opt out)," Driscoll said.

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