All Hallows Eve festivities aren’t getting “canceled” despite the pandemic, says Governor Baker.
Well, Bostonians it looks like you’ll get to celebrate Halloween with some good ol’ fashioned trick or treating after all! Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced on Tuesday, October 5, that coronavirus would not be “canceling” Halloween this year.
“The reason we’re not canceling Halloween is because that would turn into thousands of indoor Halloween parties, which would be a heck of a lot worse for public safety and for the spread of the virus than outdoor organized and supervised trick or treating,” Baker said, speaking in Salem on Tuesday.
Indoor parties are still a “really bad idea” according to Gov. Baker but following the state’s extensive guidelines for keeping trick or treating safe such as keeping it to small groups and wearing face masks, should make this traditional Halloween activity perfectly COVID-friendly and safe.
Baker also pointed out that cities would be making their own decisions in terms of Halloween. Higher-risk communities like Lawrence and Springfield have already restricted or limited door-to-door trick-or-treating while the city of Salem, the Halloween town par excellence, plans to work on educating the thousands of visitors that flock to the city this time of year on the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines.
The City of Boston is yet to issue any clear guidelines on what Halloween will look like this year.
See also: Get In The Mood For Halloween By Exploring Salem, Massachusetts’ Famous Witch Town!
[Featured image: @vic_nkt, Instagram]