Ford defends cancelling trick-or-treating
Premier says he chose to ‘err on side of caution’ to avoid potential case rise
Premier Doug Ford is fighting back at criticisms he’s the “bad guy” for deciding COVID-19 makes it too scary for door-todoor trick or treating in Toronto, Peel, York and Ottawa.
“Sometimes you just can’t win,” Ford told a news conference Monday after several physicians said his government — recently accused of not moving fast enough to reimpose pandemic restrictions — overreacted by recommending against a traditional Halloween in hot zones.
“The goal should be to find ways to do things safely rather than cancel,” said infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch of University Health Network.
“Halloween shouldn’t be too tough to do safely: Outside, wearing masks, restricted to family units, distant from others is about as low risk as it gets.”
Ford, who was following the advice of Ontario chief medical officer Dr. David Williams, said he decided to “err on the side of caution” because fingers would point at him if anything went awry.
“If we did let people go out and all of a sudden numbers spiked up, guess what? You’d be blaming this guy, saying, ‘Why would you ever let those kids go out door-to-door,’ and, ‘There were seniors answering the doors,’ and, ‘Have you lost your mind?’ ”
As the province reported another 704 cases of the highly contagious virus and four deaths, the premier and Williams expressed concern that children from different households would bunch up at front doors, trade candy and wipe their runny noses on what can be a cold night.
“There’s very little control over it,” Williams said in remarks echoed at city hall by Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer: “It’s far too possible to mix closely with others and let your guard down.”
Because the guidance is a recommendation from the province, it is not enforceable by local authorities.
“It’s really a decision of the parents to make,” said Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s associate chief medical officer.
Aside from urging kids not go door-to-door, Ford suggested families hold virtual Halloween parties, have scavenger hunts for candy at home, a movie night or share spooky stories.
“We just can’t have hundreds of kids showing up at your front door if you live in a hot spot, especially in apartment buildings,” he said.
Outside of the four hot zones, Williams said children should only go out with members of their own households, wear proper face coverings no matter their costumes, make front porch candy stops quickly, physically distance and avoid high-touch surfaces.
“A costume mask is not a substitute for a face covering and should not be worn over a face covering as it may make it difficult to breathe,” he cautioned.
There is a chance other areas could find trick-or-treating curbed by the time Oct. 31 rolls around, Yaffe hinted.
She added Hamilton and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit to Halton on the short list of regions being watched for the need to enter modified Stage 2 restrictions with Toronto, Peel, York and Ottawa, where indoor dining is banned and gyms, theatres, bingos and casinos are closed.
Dr. Irfan Dhalla, an internist and vice-president at St. Michael’s Hospital, maintained there are “inconsistencies” between the new Halloween guidelines and public health policies now in place.
“It’s OK to go to school, it’s OK to eat on a patio, it’s OK to get drive through, but it’s not OK to trick or treat,” Dhalla said. “That said, it’s easy to second guess, and best to follow public health guidance.”
At Queen’s Park, New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath said the Halloween edict is “confusing” when 30 children are allowed in a school classroom and double that on a school bus.
“Somehow door knocking outdoors … is more dangerous than that,” she said.
Williams stood by his recommendation to the premier in a thinly veiled shot at critics. “What’s confusing is we have a lot of people weighing in with their own version of what they think is correct,” he said.
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said the decision is “disappointing” for children in hot zones, but “probably the most prudent thing to do.”
The 704 new cases of COVID -19 reported Monday brought the total since Friday to 2,167 as the province fights a resurgence that began after Labour Day in hopes of getting levels of the virus down in time for what Williams said would be a “slightly different” Christmas season.
It’s a good sign that daily case numbers appear to be settling into a “plateau” around the 700s, and not above 1,000 as some computer models had predicted before new restrictions were imposed, Williams added.
Although 30 hospitals did not report their latest statistics, there were 252 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Ontario, with 69 in intensive care and 40 of them on ventilators. That’s up from 58 in hospital and10 on ventilators a month ago.
There were 74 new cases in schools, with 483 or 10 per cent of schools across the province reporting infections in students or staff. Four schools are closed because of outbreaks.