TORONTO — Children in Ontario's four COVID-19 hot spots should not go trick-or-treating this Halloween, Premier Doug Ford said Monday, stressing that the extent to which that advice is followed could affect the upcoming holiday season.
Ford said the recommendation for residents of Toronto, Ottawa, Peel Region and York Region was based on the advice of the province's top doctor as infections in those area continue to climb.
“I’m not cancelling Halloween ... just don’t go door-to-door in the hot spots,” the premier said. “It just isn’t safe.”
The advice came as Ontario reported 704 new cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths due to the virus.
The largest daily gains came in the four hot spots, with 244 cases in Toronto, 168 in Peel Region, 103 in York Region and 51 in Ottawa.
What the province does now could have an impact on how Ontarians can celebrate in December, Ford said, adding that he didn't want to be the "bad guy" and was making the recommendation to protect public safety.
"COVID sucks. What can I say, it's terrible," he said. "We need to work together this Halloween to protect Christmas."
Ontario's chief medical officer, Dr. David Williams, said families in the four hot spots should find alternative ways to mark Halloween, adding that it was also important they not travel outside their neighbourhods to celebrate.
Williams also recommended that children in other regions of the province only go trick-or-treating with members of their household.
"I would also like to remind everyone that we are in a second wave of COVID-19," he said. "There have been increases in cases in many areas across the province, and the percentage of people tested who get a positive result is going up."
The mayors and chairpersons of municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area released a joint statement praising the Halloween recommendations.
"We asked the province and health officials for clear and simple advice on Halloween and today they’ve provided that advice," they said.
But at least one infectious disease expert said the recommendation didn't sit right with him.
The goal should be to find ways to do things safely rather than cancel Halloween activities, Dr. Isaac Bogoch said.
"Halloween shouldn’t be too tough to do safely," he wrote on Twitter. "Outside, wearing masks, restricted to family units, distant from others - is about as low risk as it gets."
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the province's message on Halloween is confusing when it is contrasted with its policy on schools.
"We send kids to school 30 to a classroom," she said. "We put kids on buses, 70 to a bus, inside, indoors, in cramped circumstances ... but somehow a door-knocking outdoor activity is more dangerous than that. I don't blame parents if they're extremely confused."
The new Halloween guidance came as stricter measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 took effect in York Region.
The province imposed the same measures on Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa earlier this month.
Indoor service in restaurants is prohibited, gyms and movie theatres are closed, and public gatherings can be no larger than 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors.
Ontario health officials also said Monday that they are closely monitoring case counts in Halton Region, Hamilton, and Eastern Ontario.
Meanwhile, the province reported 74 new COVID-19 cases related to schools on Monday, including at least 48 among students. Those bring the number of schools with a reported case to 483 out of Ontario's 4,828 publicly funded schools
Monday's figures bring the total number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario to 65,075, with 3,050 deaths, and 55,978 cases resolved.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published October, 19, 2020.
Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian Press
