I am with you OP. Kids are bearing a huge portion of the pain from COVID, from loss of schooling and all that goes long with it, to food insecurity, to social isolation, to few opportunities for exercise and freedom, etc. no one is prioritizing them. Certainly not the leadership of MoCo.

ITA as well. The problem is that the problem is... me, and you. As PPs have articulated, kids can't vote, kids have no money, kids do not "contribute" to the economy. Their needs come last unless parents (and other responsible adults) vociferously advocate for on their behalf. And no one's really been doing that around here, myself included (I'm exhausted; we're likely all exhausted). And the politics around here--and intense hatred of Trump (I again include myself!)--has skewed the usual priorities of a otherwise liberal area.

Anonymous wrote:Follow the money. Bars make money. Trick or treating doesn't. It's pathetic but true.

Anonymous wrote:^^I was just about to make the same point. It’s all about the economy.

Then maybe we as a society need to start valuing something else.

^^I was just about to make the same point. It’s all about the economy.

Follow the money. Bars make money. Trick or treating doesn't. It's pathetic but true.

Studies show that Covid is linked to indoor dining. But it's still ok. Covid is not linked as closely to school opening but its not happening.

Patients with symptomatic COVID-19 were more likely than uninfected controls to report some form of restaurant dining -- including indoor, patio and outdoor seating -- in the 2 weeks prior to symptom onset, CDC researchers found.

Compared to controls without COVID-19, case patients were more than twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant (adjusted OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.5-3.8), reported Kiva Fisher, PhD, of the CDC, and colleagues.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/88543

Adults are having pickup games, so can kids. Schedule it. Organize it. Find some friends.

The activities need to be organized differently. By you. Get on it.

Trick or treating is not a government activity.

I am so torn on this kind of thing in general.

There are lots of activities that are absolutely NOT strictly necessary! And which I'd be 1 million percent happy to give up if doing so actually impacted the pandemic in any significant way. In fact, I have given up almost all of them.

On the other hand, if activities introduce *very* little or no risk, then it doesn't matter if they're "unnecessary," especially if they also have less tangible benefits.

If you told me, credibly, that not eating apples would significantly reduce the spread of COVID, I would not eat apples. At all. Even though I really like them. I can absolutely live without them.

But if you told me not to eat apples even though eating them is unlikely to have an effect on COVID spread, yeah, I might eat apples. At least once a year!

I haven't gotten a haircut in a year, let alone eaten at a restaurant (inside or outside). I haven't seen my grandmothers. But those are higher risk than trick-or-treating IMO-- especially fully outdoor non-door-to-door TOTing, which is what we are planning. And restaurants etc. have less benefit IMO, because we know Halloween is not just about "candy" at all. It's second only to Christmas/Hanukkah/etc. for kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is just a rant because as we start thinking about Halloween and trick or treating I’m seeing local governments (the same ones who are opening restaurants and small venues) saying trick or treating is unsafe. While it might be a small risk, what’s the actual difference between my kids being outside in masks walking around on this day vs any other day. Also tired of seeing tons of adult pick up games of soccer/ basketball, etc meanwhile youth sports haven’t been permitted. Why are we just willing to say that kids get nothing during this pandemic, meanwhile “businesses” need it? I’m so tired of commerce and capitalism dictating what is permitted and what’s not while kids are left to languish. Outdoor masked activities for kids are crucial to the wellbeing during this time, wtf is wrong with our local leaders (a lot, I know). Between the schools continuing to stay closed despite 7+ months to figure it out, youth sports being banned I’m pissed. Trick or treating is proving to be the straw that might break my back. / end rant.

I agree totally. Why isn't the fact that the schools are closed a major issue in this election? Why isn't on the front pages of the newspapers on a daily basis? We are sacrificing a whole generation of citizens.

In Canada, the premiers of the provinces are giving daily news conferences about the fall surge and what people need to do to preserve the school year and keep the schools open. It is in the news daily.

NP here. This whole situation is not sustainable. I'm waiting to see the results of how, if at all, Covid has impacted private schools that reopened with new practices in place. We're all being held hostage here. I get that many teachers don't want to go back to the classroom until there's a vaccine. Then again, what are the masks for? If everyone doesn't feel safe even wearing an N95 mask, then we're all up s*ts creek, I guess.

I am writing the Board if Ed and all my council members today. I completely agree and am fed up.

Anonymous wrote:If you are in Montgomery County, please write your Councilmembers and tell them to start prioritizing kids (and schools) and not bars and restaurants.

I could not agree more. The children are getting completely screwed by the adults in charge.

Anonymous wrote:Tired of activities and eating out and traveling being spreaders and people cannot stay home and let the virus pass.

Viruses don't "pass". Ask New Zealand.

It is RIDICULOUS that bars are open and ToT is "banned." That said, the "ban" is a guideline, not a law. My neighborhood is moving ahead. I know there are some folks who won't participate and I respect that, but it makes no sense to not allow a safe activity - outdoors, with masks, and social distancing rules - and allow other things that are much less safe.

Anonymous wrote:Because kids don't vote so they're an easy group to target. And they can't complain.


I peros

Hmmmm....but their parents do. And Trump wonders why he is losing the suburbs.

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have a national covid plan. It’s the orange Cheeto that’s dictating the rules.

You are worried about Halloween? Seriously there are bigger fish to fry. Grow up.

I don't care about your political views, but you can't call the President of the United States an orange Cheeto and then go on to tell someone to grow up. That's a little unstable.