Hand-washing, no yelling 'trick-or-treat': Quebec offers up pandemic Halloween rules
Quebec kids are being asked not to yell 'trick-or-treat' as they go door-to-door for candy and to keep a bottle of hand sanitizer handy this Halloween.
The province's Health Department today published a list of guidelines to help celebrate the holiday safely amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Children are advised not to enter people's houses, to refrain from singing and yelling, to wash and sanitize their hands and to try to keep one metre of distance from others whenever possible.
The province is asking adults to hand out candies in individual bags and to respect the 10-person gathering limit when it comes to parties.
This year's rules are less stringent than in 2020, when Premier Francois Legault banned all adult Halloween activities and told families they could only trick-or-treat with members of their own households.
But despite the improving COVID-19 situation, the government says it's still important to be careful and for those with symptoms to stay home.
"For those who don't show symptoms and who participate in the gathering and distribution of candy, remember that caution is still in order to limit the risks of spreading the virus," the Health Department said in a statement.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted some Canadian cities to ban trick-or-treating altogether last year, and led many families to come up with creative solutions such as using candy chutes to pass out treats from a distance.
Quebec allowed trick-or-treating to proceed but banned adult celebrations, prompting Legault to say that Halloween was "only for kids."
While the province chose not to cancel Halloween, there is some precedent for postponing it.
In 2019 several cities in the province, including Montreal, decided to ask citizens to delay Halloween by a day due to a heavy rainfall warning.
The announcement was ignored by some parents who decided to proceed, leading to some lucky children getting two days to collect treats instead of one.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct 22, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.