Some kids may need to skip Halloween, Trudeau says
Follow local authorities on trick-or-treating
OTTAWA • 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.
In addition to Ottawa, health authorities in Ontario have advised against trick-or-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. Everyone’s actions matter.”
As case counts rise in parts of the country, 52 per cent of parents say they will not let their children go trick-or-treating this year, according to a recent survey conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies.
LISTENING TO PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS MEANS THAT MY FAMILY WILL NOT BE GOING TRICKOR-TREATING.
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.
The COVID-19 death toll has continued its grim march over the last few days, nearing 10,000 in Canada as severe illness caused by the pandemic rises and hospitalizations ramp up, Tam said.