Reminder: Follow health guidelines for trick-or-treating, events
COVINGTON, Ky. – With Halloween just two days away, Covington families are being urged once again to follow COVID-19-related safety protocols designed to limit human contact – regardless of whether you’re passing out candy or going door to door asking for it.
The climbing number of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky and the nation – which health experts have identified as another “surge” -- has lent increased urgency to the warnings, which are designed to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease.
In an earlier executive order, the City officially set trick-or-treat hours in Covington at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and adopted state and federal safety directives for celebrating the holiday:
Trick-or-treaters should:
- Stay within their neighborhoods.
- Wear a face covering over their noses and mouths (traditional Halloween masks aren’t enough).
- Maintain social distancing (don’t crowd those not in your group).
- Walk with family members, not those outside your household.
And homeowners should:
- Place individually wrapped candy outside on the porch, a table, or the driveway.
- Avoid handing candy directly to kids.
- Avoid placing bowls and boxes filled with candy for kids to root through.
Mayor Joe Meyer’s executive order related to Halloween can be found HERE. The latest directives from state health officials can be found HERE and HERE.
Meanwhile, organizers of events and attractions are asked to:
- Reduce capacity and use markers or dividers to reinforce 6-foot distancing between groups as well as employees/volunteers.
- Have hand sanitizer readily available.
- Pre-sell tickets to ensure capacities are limited.
- Consider eliminating common seating areas or play areas where children may congregate.
- Separate benches and tables by at least 6 feet and sanitize seating and tables between each use.
- Notify the health department immediately if you learn that someone with COVID-19 has visited your attraction.
Since March, Kentucky has had over 99,600 people test positive for COVID-19, and over 1,420 people have died of complications from the contagious disease. Fifty-five of Kentucky’s counties have reached “red-zone” status in the last week.
# # #