PM’S kids staying home for Halloween
OT TAWA • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging Canadians to stick to local health guidelines when considering how to celebrate Halloween next week, adding his own children will be staying home.
“We know that it’s not easy, and it’s frustrating,” he said Tuesday. “Unfortunately all of us are having to make sacrifices of different types, particularly kids.”
The Trudeau family lives in Ottawa, which is under renewed restrictions on public activities, so the prime minister said his children will not go door to door.
“Listening to public health officials means that my family will not be going trick- or- treating this year, because in Ottawa, and in Ontario in red zones like Ottawa, they are not encouraging or not recommending trick- or- treating, and therefore we won’t be,” he said.
“A friend of mine suggested that maybe we could do an Easter- style treasure hunt for candy throughout the house and yard, and that’s something that we’re also reflecting on,” Trudeau said.
In addition to Ottawa, health authorities in Ontario have advised against trickor- treating in the hot spots of Toronto, Peel Region and York Region.
But Quebec Premier François Legault has said trick- or- treating can go ahead if participants wear face masks and head out with family rather than friends, even though the province is Canada’s viral epicentre.
In a message aimed partly at young people, the country’s top physician encouraged Canadians who use Tiktok, Instagram and other social media to spread the word about healthy habits in order to keep the coronavirus “on a slow burn.”
“As each part of the country is experiencing the pandemic differently, people may be facing uncertainty about what action is needed to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer. “What is certain is that our response requires a collective effort.”
As case counts rise in parts of the country, 52 per cent of parents say they will not let their children go trick- ortreating this year, according to a recent survey conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious- disease specialist and researcher at Toronto General Hospital, agreed that Canadians should listen to local health units — though that can be more complicated than it sounds.
“It can be challenging when you don’t have consistency from the various public health authorities,” Bogoch said.
In areas with lower infection rates, candy- pedlars with concerns about physical distancing should consider adapting their doorway routines.
“We’ve seen creative approaches where people have set up those little tubes, little chutes, for candy to go down into bags,” he said. Other options include using barbecue tongs or — for the more trusting — leaving treats on the doorstep.