Mayor Brian Arrigo called on Revere residents to make plans to safely celebrate Halloween and avoid high-risk activities including traditional trick-or-treating, parties and haunted houses. Over the next four weeks, the City will work to provide residents with information about the risks associated with various Halloween activities so they can make educated decisions for themselves and their families. The City of Revere’s Parks and Recreation Department has developed an alternative plan for a “Spooktacular Lane†drive-thru event that incorporates Covid-19 public health guidance and provides Revere families an opportunity to safely participate in Halloween festivities.
As of October 13, the Revere Board of Health has been notified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health of 2,895 positive and probable cases of COVID-19 in the City of Revere. The City is averaging 13.6 new cases a day. Revere is currently classified as a “high-risk†community by the state; last week the City had the third-highest per capita positive case rate in Massachusetts.
“Halloween is one of my family’s favorite holidays, but for the health of our community, we have to celebrate differently this year. We hope this alternative option provides our young people with a safer way to have some fun,†Mayor Arrigo said. “We’ve made some good progress over the past few weeks in terms of stabilizing our numbers. But we have to remain vigilant to ensure we are in the best possible position with the onset of colder weather and in anticipation of another surge in cases. I’m asking our residents to support us in this effort by not participating in high-risk activities. We are all in this together.â€
Halloween Spooktacular Lane
The Revere Parks and Recreation Department is hosting this year’s Halloween Spooktacular Lane at 101 School Street (Revere High School) on October 31 from 12:00-4:00 p.m.. Adults will drive up to the event and youth will walk through the Spooktacular Lane while observing social distancing guidelines. The driver of each vehicle must remain in the car, and a second adult is encouraged to accompany younger children. Parks and Recreation staff will be on hand to accompany younger children as needed. Masks will be required for all attendees. The event is for Revere residents only and each vehicle must register for a time slot in advance at www.revererec.org. For more information, please contact the Revere Parks and Recreation office at 781-286-8190.
Guidance for Halloween Celebrations
The Centers for Disease Control has provided comprehensive guidance related to risk levels associated with traditional Halloween activities.
Higher risk activities should be avoided to help prevent the spread of the virus and include:
• Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door
• Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots
• Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
• Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming
• Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household
• Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgment and increase risky behaviors
• Traveling to a rural fall festival that is not in your community if you live in an area with community spread of COVID-19
The City is encouraging residents to participate in lower-risk activities, including:
• Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
• Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
• Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
• Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
• Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
• Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
• Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house
Moderate risk activities include:
• Participating in one-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard)
• If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 second before and after preparing the bags.
• Having a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart
• Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
• Going to an open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest where appropriate mask use is enforced, and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
• If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.
• Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing
• Having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends with people spaced at least 6 feet apart
