Celebrating Halloween in Hamilton

HAMILTON, ON - The City of Hamilton is encouraging residents to stay home and celebrate Halloween in different ways this year. Avoid attending parties/gatherings with others who live outside your household to limit the spread of COVID-19.

If you are handing out candy this year, follow Public Health measures to stay safe:

• Wear a non-medical mask that fully covers your nose, mouth and chin.
• Set up a trick or treating station outside, using a table to place treats on to maintain distancing.
• Portion treats out ahead of time to prevent contact & use tongs to hand out.  Do not leave out self-serve bowls of bulk candy.
• If you hand out treats indoors, place a sign on your door asking trick-or-treaters to knock instead of ringing the doorbell.
• Wash or sanitize hands frequently.
• Stay 2 metres away from trick-or-treaters.
• Build a candy slide, candy catapult or other fun, non-touch delivery methods.

If you are trick-or-treating this year, follow Public Health measures to stay safe:

• Minimize contact with others: trick-or-treat only with those who you live with and stay two metres apart from all others.
• Only trick-or-treat outside.
• Wash hands before eating candy.
• Choose a costume that allows a non-medical mask to be worn underneath and that allows you to easily wash your hands.
• Wash your hands before and after trick or treating and bring hand sanitizer with you.
• Avoid touching doorbells or railings, knock instead of using doorbells, use hand sanitizer after touching surfaces.
• Line up 2 metres apart if waiting for treats.
• Outline a plan with older children who are trick-or-treating on their own, including how to avoid situations such as crowded door steps or joining with other groups and talking about the number of homes they can visit.
• Remember the usual Halloween safety tips – dress for the weather, wear reflectors, watch for traffic, and check treats before eating

Thank you for doing your part this Halloween by celebrating safely. For more information, visit: www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/celebrations-during-covid-19

“Although Halloween will look and feel different this year, it is important we all continue to follow public health recommendations in any way we choose to celebrate. In Hamilton, trick-or-treating is permitted with certain safety precautions in place but house parties and gatherings with others who live outside your household is not recommended. This virus is still in our community and it’s up to all of us to double-down on our efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

– Mayor Fred Eisenberger

“Halloween is a fun time of year, especially for children and neighbourhoods. Because of COVID-19, we are encouraging people to be innovative in how they celebrate and be very mindful of public health guidance around how to reduce transmission of COVID. There are lots of fun options to celebrate virtually. For those that elect to go out trick-or-treating, we are recommending that they stay close to home and be very sure to physically distance, limit close contacts, wash your hands, and wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible. The Public Health Services website has ideas and tips on how you can make Halloween safe this year. It’s important to have fun, safely.”

– Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Medical Officer of Health

Additional Resources

• hamilton.ca/coronavirus
• hamilton.ca/reopens
• covid-19.ontario.ca
• Public Health Services’ COVID-19 Hotline: 905-974-9848 or [email protected]