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The annual North Dublin Flame Festival on Halloween has been canceled due to Covid-19, the Fingal County Council has confirmed.
The popular event was to take place in 13 different locations around the county.
However, on Monday, the local authority issued a statement saying it had been canceled, making it the latest event of its kind to be derailed by the pandemic.
“Adhering to public health guidelines and ensuring that physical distancing is maintained must remain a priority, and with this in mind, the Council has made the decision to postpone this year’s events,” he said.
“Despite the disappointment, the City Council Events team is planning to come back in force when restrictions have eased and hope to host a fireworks-themed event at a later date.”
The cancellation comes just one day after Fáilte Ireland, the tourism body, announced that the 2020 New Year’s Eve celebrations would not continue.
Last year 110,000 people participated in the three-day festival that was seen by another 80,000 spectators and included fireworks displays, live music and illuminations.
Such cancellations are a considerable blow to the hospitality and entertainment sectors.
Guidelines for celebrating
Although there is no specific guide in Ireland on celebrating Halloween during the pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published “alternative ways to participate in Halloween.”
Gone are the usual scary masks, handing out candy to kids at the door, and of course anything that involves the ability to scream at close range.
However, the ancient art of pumpkin carving, terrifying scavenger hunts, and costume parades are ideal ways to keep some spooky customs at a safe social distance.
Given the open-air nature of Halloween events and the fluidity of costumed kids looking for treats, it’s not entirely clear how social restrictions might affect things, although some pros and cons are clear.
Under Level 3 of the Covid Irish Alert System (currently in effect in Dublin and Donegal), only a visitor is allowed into someone’s home and there should be no social gatherings. While the trick-or-treating are not exactly visitors, the coming and going of children to homes presents obvious risks.
Level 4 bans visitors entirely, while Level 2 allows up to six, but it’s hard to tell where various counties will be by October 31.
Regardless, the CDC notes that when it comes to spreading Covid-19, some things are too risky. These include the traditional trick-or-treating where treats are delivered to children door-to-door; crowded indoor costume parties; or meetings where people may be yelling or yelling.
Moderate risk activities
However, in particular, it offers some advice and guidance on “moderate risk” activities and how to approach them. These include:
– “One way trick or treating,” in which individually wrapped gift bags are lined up for families to take and leave while continuing social distance (such as at the end of a driveway).
– If you are preparing goody bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing them.
– Have a small outdoor costume parade, socially estranged.
– A socially distanced outdoor costume party with protective masks.
“A costume mask (like Halloween) is not a substitute for a cloth mask,” he says.
“A disguise mask should not be worn unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose and does not leave gaps around the face.”
He also advises people not to wear a disguise mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the disguise mask makes breathing difficult.
“Consider wearing a Halloween-themed cloth mask instead.”
A staple of any decent Halloween is the scream, and while it’s hard to imagine a festival without it, the CDC notes that if likely “further distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus. “
Low risk activities
But in an extremely tight year, experts offer some safer, lower-risk alternatives:
– Carving of pumpkins with members of your household or with other people outside and away.
– Decorating your house.
– A Halloween scavenger hunt where kids are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for as they walk from house to house admiring the decorations from a distance.
– Virtual Halloween costume contests.
– A Halloween movie night with the people you live with.
– A scavenger hunt style trick or treat hunt with household members in or around your own home.
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