Halloween versus take out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re right that one kid and their parents going door to door, wearing a mask and interacting very briefly with masked homeowners, isn’t terribly risky.

But think about what Trick or Treat usually looks like in neighborhoods with lots of kids and easy access to houses: multiple groups of kids and adults, crowding on doorsteps and sidewalks, hanging out chatting on porches and in yards, in many places sharing beverages and treats for parents as well. That’s the kind of thing that could easily become a superspreader event within a neighborhood, especially if adults are unmasked to eat and drink. Or if kids want to eat that favorite candy bar, so they take their mask off, and maybe share it with a buddy while mom and dad aren’t looking.

In other words, the official guidance isn’t about individual risk, it’s about public health.

Yes if they're unmasked. But the protests proved that it was safe for mass gatherings as long as we are masked and outside. This isn't different, except it's kids.

The protests proved that lots of people got lucky that COVID was never directly attributed to those protests. Driving drunk and getting home safely multiple times doesn't mean driving drunk is safe. It means you got lucky.

You're comparing millions of people protesting all around the world to "driving drunk multiple times"? Seriously?

[Anonymous]

This yammering about protests and drunk driving is distracting. The substantial majority of people understand we're in a pandemic and will alter their behavior to TOT in a socially distant manner. It won't be perfect, but it's silly to suggest that TOT will look like it has in years past. (Well, I guess it might in some parts of the country, but those are not the places where local governments are apt to ban it anyways.)

[Anonymous]

In our neighborhood, those than want to hand out candy will either will either sit outside or leave a bucket outside. No one is ringing doorbells.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No activity is risk free. It’s about risk vs benefit. Keeping restaurants open is vital for the economy. Celebrating Halloween in a traditional manner is not. It’s just one day, and finding a socially distant way to celebrate isn’t a huge deal. I think encouraging people not to trick or treat as usual will cut down on before and after parties, and generally help folks remember that these are not normal times. It is very hard to control mask wearing and distancing just out on the street as opposed to in a park or store. The last thing you want to do before flu season starts is seed more chains of infection for no good reason.

This. We’re all going to be exposed to some risk, but if we cut out unnecessary risks, transmission rates will be lower. I need groceries, but I don’t need to obtain candy from 20 different households. My kids can go for a walk (masked) in their costumes during the day on Halloween and I’m sure they’ll get compliments from neighbors. I can buy their favorite candies and create a candy scavenger hunt at home. We can have fun while limiting contacts with others. I’m not buying candy for trick or treaters, so don’t waste your time coming to my house.

No, no, no, no! This so-called "risk-benefit" analysis is all off. The knee-jerk reaction to tend to an allow an activity if it stimulates the economy and disallow it if the reverse is true is not science-based and is not how we will stop the spread. It also has the effect of leaving our children to disproportionately bear the burden of this pandemic because the activities that bring them joy and serve their (very real!) needs don't tend to generate much $$$$. What should be happening, alas, is that our government should be bailing out restaurant owners and other business owners. The fact (hello science, research, data!!) is that restaurants, bars, gyms, etc. do in fact spread COVID. Outside, fleeting interactions like TOT -- not so much, or at least much less so. We will be TOTing (with masks, of course, and with effort to maintain physical distance) because the risk is low and the benefit to my daughter's mental-health is substantial. TOT it is a Big. Fat. Deal. to her. Don't be so quick to dismiss special traditions like this for a child as trifling frivolities. Think about how just one special night out, a date-night, etc. can recharge and sustain you mentally and emotionally for quite some time! She has sacrificed A LOT this year -- A LOT!!! -- and trust me, we are doing our best to help her develop grit, not play the victim. But, darn it, I'm allowing her this because the risk is in fact low. And I'd be lying if the fact that the adults in my neighborhood are willy-nilly engaging in far riskier activities regularly didn't factor into my thought process.

+1000

My kids have had to give up a lot more this year than most adults I know (including myself). This low-risk tradition will do so much for their well-being.

And no, they do not care if they dont get to knock on doors. They are quite happy waving to everyone and picking up candy off tables.

[Anonymous]

Take-out keeps people employed.

It's harder to directly link kids going door-to-door trick or treating to the economy continuing to function, though of course this is a distant relation.

In the US we open things that bring in $$$ and leave everything else shut - haven't you noticed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're trick or treating with masks on. If you don't want to participate, keep your porch light off.

Porch light is always on for security. We won’t decorate so you get the hint.

It’s one night for like 2-3 hours. You’ll live with the light off. Plenty of people do not decorate for Halloween so that is not a good sign. Porch light on = trick or treaters welcome.

[Anonymous]

I find it crazy Halloween has been boxed rather than the focus on how to do it relatively safely. This outside activity does not strike me as super risky if masked and those at risk bow out for the year.

[Anonymous]

We’ll be handing out candy and my kids will he trick or treating. Just do it, stop asking, and stop listening to the Covid Nazis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it crazy Halloween has been boxed rather than the focus on how to do it relatively safely. This outside activity does not strike me as super risky if masked and those at risk bow out for the year.

Yeah...there are several ways to do this while minimizing risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're trick or treating with masks on. If you don't want to participate, keep your porch light off.

Porch light is always on for security. We won’t decorate so you get the hint.

Porch light on on Halloween means you are participating in trick or treating. So you will get lots of bell ringers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:honestly this whole pandemic has been about virtue signaling/security theater with no real strategy or action. This Halloween stuff is more of the same.

Temp checks, deep cleaning, etc etc— from what we know about this virus, neither is actually very helpful in preventing transmission. And yet we keep putting these “measures” into place to make people feel safe.

I do think people gathering in groups is a problem; a lot of families do pre-trick or treating pictures or parties. So perhaps they’re targeting that. But in general, I think the total ban is pretty dumb and think many families (maybe not more than 50% but enough) will ignore it.

+1000000 THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY. I seriously cannot stand it. I am of course taking precautions and being safe but I am also making risk/benefit analyses for my family (and I say TOT-ing is fine) but then there are the "Covid-nazis" as another poster called them, who will say: but there's a PANDEMIC and you're being SELFISH.

No.

This really annoys me. Glad to hear it does someone else, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your kids can go trick or treating.

We are putting out treats and not answering the door. It will be fine and much like takeout.

+1

+2, our neighborhood is doing tables at the end of driveways. We won’t let out kids go as far as usual and they will only be going to driveway stops, no doorbell ringing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're trick or treating with masks on. If you don't want to participate, keep your porch light off.

Porch light is always on for security. We won’t decorate so you get the hint.

You will get trick or treaters if your porch light is on. That’s the universal sign that you’re welcoming trick or treaters on Halloween.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're trick or treating with masks on. If you don't want to participate, keep your porch light off.

Porch light is always on for security. We won’t decorate so you get the hint.

You will get trick or treaters if your porch light is on. That’s the universal sign that you’re welcoming trick or treaters on Halloween.

Yup -- porch light on = feel free to ring our doorbell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]why can't my kids go door to door but most people are doing take out and the drive thru (I am too)?[/b] If someone is sick, I hope they dont go to work and I hope they wouldn't answer the door. In both cases, everyone is masked. One is done outside and the other in a building. One I am in front of someone for a few seconds and the other I could be in a store for 5-15 minutes. The main difference is I can "quarantine" the candy but I will immediately eat the take out.

How many takeouts do you go to for dinner? Is it one or do you go to thirty take out places? That's the difference. You can have your candy shoot or table but, kids are going to crowd together and it will be difficult if not impossible to keep apart

Also, when I do take away I get delivery and they ring the doorbell and leave so I don't get close at all.