Halloween is coming up on Saturday and like everything right now, it’s going to require balance and a bit of creativity.
Oct. 29, 2020
Halloween is coming up on Saturday and like everything right now, it’s going to require balance and a bit of creativity.
The good thing about Halloween is that trick-or-treating can take place outdoors, and a mask can be part of your costume if you wish.
If you’re a fan of Halloween, use your imagination to come up with a safe way to participate and give children a positive experience. Of course we still need to keep our distance and avoid gatherings with people who aren’t in our social bubble, particularly indoors. But there are still lots of ways to celebrate Halloween safely in 2020.
By now we’ve all seen the videos of candy chutes, zip lines and other fun ways to give out treats from afar. Or maybe it’s simply individual bags of candy on the porch, with a welcoming person sitting six feet away. The BC Centre for Disease Control suggests using tongs or a baking sheet – Google them for more of their Halloween tips.
And if you’re planning a fireworks display on Saturday, make sure you get a permit. Visit the City website for details.
On the other hand, if you’re not comfortable taking part in Halloween this year, that’s OK too. Just turn off your front light or post a note on your door, and enjoy a quiet evening.
It’s important that we all respect each other’s comfort levels when it comes to COVID. It’s part of the pandemic balancing act that you do every day, whether you think about it or not. Every time you decide to go out or stay home, every time you wear a mask or not, you’re making a choice that balances your own comfort, health and desires with the health of everyone else.
By and large, most of us tend to tip that balance toward the side of prevention, and toward the side of caring about others rather than just ourselves. Some days that’s more of a struggle than others, and it’s going to get harder as the pandemic wears on.
But that just means that we’re going to have to challenge ourselves to stay the course, while finding creative ways to bring back some kind of safe interaction with others.
This is especially important for people who have been isolated, like maybe the grandma who hasn’t seen her family face to face for the past six months. Some of the danger that comes with COVID is not just the impact of the virus itself, but the effect the pandemic is having on our mental wellness.
We all need to find some quality of life while staying safe and listening to the experts. Avoid gatherings, and do everyone else a favour and wear a mask if you can. Try to stay positive, and ignore those who think they’re smarter than the scientists who are working around the clock on this. On the bright side, we’re going to come out of this better at dealing with epidemics, including the common flu.
I’ll close with a plug for our local businesses. Please shop locally for your Halloween supplies and treats, and continue to support local businesses when you dine out or need to buy groceries or anything else in the days ahead. I’m still discovering new little businesses that I wish I’d known about before the pandemic. We need to be here for them now, so that they’re still here when this is over.
Richard Stewart
Mayor